What: World Cup 2010
Where: South Africa (the first time the World Cup has been hosted by an African nation)
When: June 11th to July 11th
Why: Because most of the planet is crazy about soccer:
Favorite to Win: Smart money is on Spain or Brazil
Dark Horse: We like Cameroon
Players to Watch
This incredible Nike commercial has most of them.
Unfortunately, Didier Drogba (the first guy in the commercial), just broke his arm and is almost certainly going to miss the World Cup. That’s a huge blow for Ivory Coast, his home nation, and Africa overall. Other huge names include England’s Wayne Rooney, Portugal’s Christiano Ronaldo, Brazil’s Kaka, France’s Frank Ribery and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Matches to Watch
South Africa vs. Mexico – Friday, June 11 @9:45 a.m. ET
The opening match of the World Cup traditionally features the host nation. You can bet that the atmosphere will be electric for this one.
England vs. U.S.A. – Saturday, June 12 @2:15p.m. ET
This will be a big test for the Americans. These are two of the grittiest teams in the tournament and it won’t be a surprise if one or two players is sent off with a red card.
Brazil vs. North Korea – Tuesday, June 15 @2:15p.m. ET
You read that right. North Korea, home of insane dictator Kim Jong Il, has a soccer team and they managed to qualify for the World Cup. Their reward for doing so is an opening match against perennial powerhouse Brazil. This should be a bloodbath.
Portugal vs. Brazil – Friday, June 25 @9:45 a.m. ET
Games between colonies and their former overlords are always intense. Plus, these are two of the very best teams on the planet.
Every match after the group stage
The World Cup is a single-elimination tournament, which means that (once you qualify for the 2nd round) you must win every single game you play. This inevitably leads to high drama.
Full Schedule (all times are Eastern Time)
| DATE | TIME | MATCH |
| Friday, June 11 | 9:45 a.m. | South Africa vs. Mexico |
| 2:15 p.m. | Uruguay vs. France | |
| Saturday, June 12 | 7:15 a.m. | South Korea vs. Greece |
| 9:45 a.m. | Argentina vs. Nigeria | |
| 2:15 p.m. | England vs. U.S.A. | |
| Sunday, June 13 | 7:15 a.m. | Algeria vs. Slovenia |
| 9:45 a.m. | Serbia vs. Ghana | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Germany vs. Australia | |
| Monday, June 14 | 7:15 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Denmark |
| 9:45 a.m. | Japan vs. Cameroon | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Italy vs. Paraguay | |
| Tuesday, June 15 | 7:15 a.m. | New Zealand vs. Slovakia |
| 9:45 a.m. | Ivory Coast vs. Portugal | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Brazil vs. North Korea | |
| Wednesday, June 16 | 7:15 a.m. | Honduras vs. Chile |
| 9:45 a.m. | Spain vs. Switzerland | |
| 2:15 p.m. | South Africa vs. Uruguay | |
| Thursday, June 17 | 7:15 a.m. | Argentina vs. South Korea |
| 9:45 a.m. | Greece vs. Nigeria | |
| 2:15 p.m. | France vs. Mexico | |
| Friday, June 18 | 7:15 a.m. | Germany vs. Serbia |
| 9:45 a.m. | Slovenia vs. U.S.A. | |
| 2:15 p.m. | England vs. Algeria | |
| Saturday, June 19 | 7:15 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Japan |
| 9:45 a.m. | Ghana vs. Australia | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Cameroon vs. Denmark | |
| Sunday, June 20 | 7:15 a.m. | Slovakia vs. Paraguay |
| 9:45 a.m. | Italy vs. New Zealand | |
| 2:15 a.m. | Brazil vs. Ivory Coast | |
| Monday, June 21 | 7:15 a.m. | Portugal vs. North Korea |
| 9:45 a.m. | Chile vs. Switzerland | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Spain vs. Honduras | |
| Tuesday, June 22 | 9:45 a.m. | Mexico vs. Uruguay |
| 12:00 p.m. | France vs. South Africa | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Greece vs. Argentina | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Nigeria vs. South Korea | |
| Wednesday, June 23 | 9:45 a.m. | Slovenia vs. England |
| 12:00 p.m. | U.S.A. vs. Algeria | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Ghana vs. Germany | |
| 7:00 p.m. | Australia vs. Serbia | |
| Thursday, June 24 | 9:45 a.m. | Slovakia vs. Italy |
| 12:00 p.m. | Paraguay vs. New Zealand | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Cameroon vs. Netherlands | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Denmark vs. Japan | |
| Friday, June 25 | 9:45 a.m. | Portugal vs. Brazil |
| 12:00 p.m. | North Korea vs. Ivory Coast | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Chile vs. Spain | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Switzerland vs. Honduras | |
| Round of 16 | ||
| Saturday, June 26 | 9:45 a.m. Match 49: | Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up |
| 2:15 p.m. Match 50: | Group C winner vs. Group D runner-up |
|
| Sunday, June 27 | 9:45 a.m. Match 51: | Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up |
| 2:15 p.m. Match 52: | Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up |
|
| Monday, June 28 | 9:45 a.m. Match 53: | Group E winner vs. Group F runner-up |
| 2:15 p.m. Match 54: | Group G winner vs. Group H runner-up |
|
| Tuesday, June 29 | 9:45 a.m. Match 55: | Group F winner vs. Group E runner-up |
| 2:15 p.m. Match 56: | Group H winner vs. Group G runner-up |
|
| Quarter-Finals | ||
| Friday, July 2 | 9:45 a.m. Match 57: | Match 53 winner vs. Match 54 winner |
| 2:15 p.m. Match 58: | Match 49 winner vs. Match 50 winner |
|
| Saturday, July 3 | 9:45 a.m. Match 59: | Match 52 winner vs. Match 51 winner |
| 2:15 p.m. Match 60: | Match 55 winner vs. Match 56 winner |
|
| Semifinals | ||
| Tuesday, July 6 | 2:15 p.m. Match 61: | Match 58 winner vs. Match 57 winner |
| Wednesday, July 7 | 2:15 p.m. Match 62: | Match 59 winner vs. Match 60 winner |
| 3rd/4th Place | ||
| Saturday, July 10 | 2:15 p.m. Match 63: | Match 61 runner-up vs. Match 62 runner-up |
| Final | ||
| Sunday, July 11 | 2:15 p.m. Match 64: | Match 61 winner vs. Match 62 winner |
Comments
Stan Drainer
June 14th, 2010 - 10:05:22 PM
your posts are very useful, so maybe you can share your info sources ? I am asking because I began to looking for the latest and most interesting news on the web only a few days ago and I only have a few useful websites. Thank you in advance ;)
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