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2010 FIFA World Cup
South Africa 2010

Tournament logo
Tournament details
Host country South Africa
Dates11 June – 11 July (31 days)
Teams32 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)10 (in 9 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Spain (1st title)
Runner-up Netherlands
Third place Germany
Fourth place Uruguay
Tournament statistics
Matches played64
Goals scored145 (2.27 per match)
Attendance3,178,856 (49,670 per match)
Top scorer(s)Flag of Uruguay Diego Forlán
Flag of Germany Thomas Müller
Flag of Netherlands Wesley Sneijder
Flag of Spain David Villa
(5 goals each)
2006
2014

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. The bidding process for hosting the tournament finals was open only to African nations; in 2004, the international football federation, FIFA, selected South Africa over Egypt and Morocco to become the first African nation to host the finals.

The matches were played in ten stadiums in nine host cities around the country, with the final played at the Soccer City stadium in South Africa's largest city, Johannesburg. Thirty-two teams were selected for participation via a worldwide qualification tournament that began in August 2007. In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. These sixteen teams advanced to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final.

In the final, Spain, the European champions, defeated third-time finalists the Netherlands 1–0 after extra time, with Andrés Iniesta's goal in the 116th minute giving Spain their first world title, the first time that a European nation has won the tournament outside its home continent. Host nation South Africa, 2006 world champions Italy and 2006 runners-up France were eliminated in the first round of the tournament.

List of qualified teams[]

The following 32 teams qualified for the final tournament.

AFC (4)
CAF (5+1)
CONCACAF (3)
CONMEBOL (5)
OFC (1)
UEFA (13)

Final Draw[]

Pot 1 (Host & Top seven) Pot 2 (Asia, North America & Oceania) Pot 3 (Africa & South America) Pot 4 (Europe)

 South Africa
 Brazil
 Spain
 Netherlands
 Italy
 Germany
 Argentina
 England

 Australia
 Japan
 North Korea
 South Korea
 Honduras
 Mexico
 United States
 New Zealand

 Algeria
 Cameroon
 Ivory Coast
 Ghana
 Nigeria
 Chile
 Paraguay
 Uruguay

 Denmark
 France
 Greece
 Portugal
 Serbia
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 Switzerland

Venues[]

Image Venue Location Capacity
Soccer City Johannesburg 84,490
Cape Town Stadium* Cape Town 64,100
Moses Mabhida Stadium* Durban 62,760
Ellis Park Stadium Johannesburg 55,686
Loftus Versfeld Stadium Pretoria 42,858
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Port Elizabeth 42,486
Peter Mokaba Stadium Polokwane 41,733
Mbombela Stadium Nelspruit 40,929
Free State Stadium Bloemfontijn 40,911
Royal Bafokeng Stadium Rustenburg 38,646
  • As Green Point Stadium
  • As Durban Stadium


The following stadiums were all upgraded to meet FIFA specifications:

  • Cecil Payne Stadium
  • Dobsonville Stadium
  • Gelvandale Stadium
  • Giant Stadium
  • HM Pitje Stadium
  • King Zwelithini Stadium
  • Olympia Park Stadium
  • Orlando Stadium
  • Princess Magogo Stadium
  • Rabie Ridge Stadium
  • Rand Stadium
  • Ruimsig Stadium
  • Seisa Ramabodu Stadium
  • Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium
  • Super Stadium

Squads[]

Each team's squad for the 2010 World Cup was consisted of 23 players whom 3 must be goalkeepers. Each participating national association had to confirm their final 23-player squad by 1 June 2010. Teams were permitted to make late replacements in the event of serious injury, at any time up to 24 hours before their first game.

Referees[]

AFC
Flag of Saudi Arabia Khalil Al Ghamdi
Flag of Uzbekistan Ravshan Irmatov
Flag of Malaysia Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh
Flag of Japan Yuichi Nishimura
CAF
Flag of Algeria Mohamed Benouza
Flag of Mali Koman Coulibaly
Flag of South Africa Jerome Damon
Flag of Seychelles Eddy Maillet
CONCACAF
Flag of El Salvador Joel Aguilar
Flag of Mexico Benito Archundia
Flag of Guatemala Carlos Batres
Flag of Mexico Marco Antonio Rodríguez


CONMEBOL
Flag of Paraguay Carlos Amarilla
Flag of Argentina Hector Baldassi
Flag of Uruguay Jorge Larrionda
Flag of Chile Pablo Pozo
Flag of Colombia Oscar Ruiz
Flag of Brazil Carlos Simon
OFC
Flag of New Zealand Michael Hester
Flag of New Zealand Peter O'Leary
UEFA
Flag of Portugal Olegario Benquerenca
Flag of Switzerland Massimo Busacca
Flag of Belgium Frank De Bleeckere
Flag of Sweden Martin Hansson
Flag of Hungary Viktor Kassai
Flag of France Stephane Lannoy
Flag of Italy Roberto Rosetti
Flag of Germany Wolfgang Stark
Flag of Spain Alberto Undiano Mallenco
Flag of England Howard Webb

Matches[]

Group stage[]

In the following tables:

  • Pld = total games played
  • W = total games won
  • D = total games drawn (tied)
  • L = total games lost
  • GF = total goals scored (goals for)
  • GA = total goals conceded (goals against)
  • GD = goal difference (GF−GA)
  • Pts = total points accumulated

The teams placed first and second (shaded in green) qualified to the round of 16.


Group A[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group A
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Uruguay 3 2 1 0 4 0 +4 7
 Mexico 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4
 South Africa 3 1 1 1 3 5 -2 4
 France 3 0 1 2 1 4 -3 1


11 June 2010
South Africa  1 – 1  Mexico Soccer City, Johannesburg
Uruguay  0 – 0  France Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
16 June 2010
South Africa  0 – 3  Uruguay Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
17 June 2010
France  0 – 2  Mexico Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
22 June 2010
Mexico  0 – 1  Uruguay Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
France  1 – 2  South Africa Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Group B[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group B
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Argentina 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9
 South Korea 3 1 1 1 5 6 -1 4
 Greece 3 1 0 2 2 5 -3 3
 Nigeria 3 0 1 2 3 5 -2 1


12 June 2010
South Korea  2 – 0  Greece Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Argentina  1 – 0  Nigeria Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
17 June 2010
Argentina  4 – 1  South Korea Soccer City, Johannesburg
Greece  2 – 1  Nigeria Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
22 June 2010
Nigeria  2 – 2  South Korea Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Greece  0 – 2  Argentina Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Group C[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group C
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 United States 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5
 England 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
 Slovenia 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
 Algeria 3 0 1 2 0 2 -2 1
12 June 2010
England  1 – 1  United States Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
13 June 2010
Algeria  0 – 1  Slovenia Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
18 June 2010
Slovenia  2 – 2  United States Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
England  0 – 0  Algeria Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
23 June 2010
Slovenia  0 – 1  England Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
United States  1 – 0  Algeria Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

Group D[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group D
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Germany 3 2 0 1 5 1 +4 6
 Ghana 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
 Australia 3 1 1 1 3 6 -3 4
 Serbia 3 1 0 2 2 3 -1 3
13 June 2010
Serbia  0 – 1  Ghana Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Germany  4 – 0  Australia Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
18 June 2010
Germany  0 – 1  Serbia Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
19 June 2010
Ghana  1 – 1  Australia Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
23 June 2010
Ghana  0 – 1  Germany Soccer City, Johannesburg
Australia  2 – 1  Serbia Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Group E[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group E
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4 9
 Japan 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
 Denmark 3 1 0 2 3 6 -3 3
 Cameroon 3 0 1 3 2 5 -3 0
14 June 2010
Netherlands  2 – 0  Denmark Soccer City, Johannesburg
Japan  1 – 0  Cameroon Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
19 June 2010
Netherlands  1 – 0  Japan Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Cameroon  1 – 2  Denmark Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
24 June 2010
Denmark  1 – 3  Japan Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Cameroon  1 – 2  Netherlands Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

Group F[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group F
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Paraguay 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5
 Slovakia 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
 New Zealand 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
 Italy 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2


14 June 2010
Italy  1 – 1  Paraguay Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
15 June 2010
New Zealand  1 – 1  Slovakia Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
20 June 2010
Slovakia  0 – 2  Paraguay Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Italy  1 – 1  New Zealand Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
24 June 2010
Slovakia  3 – 2  Italy Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Paraguay  0 – 0  New Zealand Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Group G[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group G
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Brazil 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
 Portugal 3 1 2 0 7 0 +7 5
 Ivory Coast 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
 North Korea 3 0 0 3 1 12 −11 0


15 June 2010
Ivory Coast  0 – 0  Portugal Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Brazil  2 – 1  North Korea Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
20 June 2010
Brazil  3 – 1  Ivory Coast Soccer City, Johannesburg
21 June 2010
Portugal  7 – 0  North Korea Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
25 June 2010
Portugal  0 - 0  Brazil Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
North Korea  0 - 3  Ivory Coast Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Group H[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Group H
Team
v  d  e
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
 Chile 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6
 Switzerland 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
 Honduras 3 0 1 2 0 3 −3 1


16 June 2010
Honduras  0 – 1  Chile Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Spain  0 – 1  Switzerland Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
21 June 2010
Chile  1 – 0  Switzerland Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Spain  2 – 0  Honduras Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
25 June 2010
Chile  1 - 2  Spain Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Switzerland  0 - 0  Honduras Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Knockout stage[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

All times listed are South African Standard Time (UTC+02)

The knockout stage comprised the sixteen teams that advanced from the group stage of the tournament. There were four rounds of matches, with each round eliminating half of the teams entering that round. The successive rounds were the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final. There was also a play-off to decide third and fourth place. For each game in the knockout stage, any draw at 90 minutes was followed by thirty minutes of extra time; if scores were still level, there was a penalty shootout to determine who progressed to the next round.

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
26 June – Port Elizabeth            
  Uruguay  2
2 July – Johannesburg
  South Korea  1  
  Uruguay (pen.)  1 (4)
26 June – Rustenburg
    Ghana  1 (2)  
  United States  1
6 July – Cape Town
  Ghana (a.e.t)  2  
  Uruguay  2
28 June – Durban
    Netherlands  3  
  Netherlands  2
2 July – Port Elizabeth
  Slovakia  1  
  Netherlands  2
28 June – Johannesburg
    Brazil  1  
  Brazil  3
11 July – Johannesburg
  Chile  0  
  Netherlands  0
27 June – Johannesburg
    Spain (a.e.t)  1
  Argentina  3
3 July – Cape Town
  Mexico  1  
  Argentina  0
27 June – Bloemfontein
    Germany  4  
  Germany  4
7 July – Durban
  England  1  
  Germany  0
29 June – Pretoria
    Spain  1   Third place
  Paraguay (pen.)  0 (5)
3 July – Johannesburg 10 July – Port Elizabeth
  Japan  0 (3)  
  Paraguay  0   Uruguay  2
29 June – Cape Town
    Spain  1     Germany  3
  Spain  1
  Portugal  0  

Round of 16[]

In this round, each group winner (A-H) was paired against the runner-up from another group.

  • South American teams again performed strongly in the round of 16, with four teams advancing to the quarter-finals including Brazil who defeated fellow South American team Chile.
  • England's 4–1 loss to Germany was their worst ever defeat at a World Cup finals.
  • Ghana defeated the United States to become the third African team to reach the last eight (after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002).
  • Paraguay and Ghana reached the quarter-finals for the first time.

The round was marked by some controversial referees' calls, including:

FIFA President Sepp Blatter took the unusual step of apologising to England and Mexico for the decisions that went against them, saying "Yesterday I spoke to the two federations directly concerned by referees' mistakes [...] I apologised to England and Mexico. The English said thank you and accepted that you can win some and you lose some and the Mexicans bowed their head and accepted it." Blatter also promised to re-open the discussion regarding devices which monitor possible goals and make that information immediately available to match officials, saying "We will naturally take on board the discussion on technology and have the first opportunity in July at the business meeting." Blatter's call came less than four months after FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said the door was closed on goal-line technology and video replays after a vote by the IFAB.

26 June 2010
16:00
Uruguay  2 – 1  South Korea Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Attendance: 30,597
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)
Suárez Goal 8'80' Report Lee Chung-Yong Goal 68'

26 June 2010
20:30
United States  1 – 2 (a.e.t.)  Ghana Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Attendance: 34,976
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
Donovan Goal 62' (pen.) Report Prince Goal 5'
Gyan Goal 93'

27 June 2010
16:00
Germany  4 – 1  England Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Attendance: 40,510
Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)
Klose Goal 20'
Podolski Goal 32'
Müller Goal 67'70'
Report Upson Goal 37'

27 June 2010
20:30
Argentina  3 – 1  Mexico Soccer City, Johannesburg
Attendance: 84,377
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
Tévez Goal 26'52'
Higuaín Goal 33'
Report Hernández Goal 71'

28 June 2010
16:00
Netherlands  2 – 1  Slovakia Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 61,962
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)
Robben Goal 18'
Sneijder Goal 84'
Report Vittek Goal 90+4' (pen.)

28 June 2010
20:30
Brazil  3 – 0  Chile Soccer City, Johannesburg
Attendance: 54,096
Referee: Howard Webb (England)
Juan Goal 34'
Luís Fabiano Goal 38'
Robinho Goal 59'
Report

29 June 2010
16:00
Paraguay  0 – 0 (a.e.t.)  Japan Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Attendance: 36,742
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
Report
  Penalties  
Barreto
Barrios
Riveros
Valdez
Cardozo
5 – 3 Endō
Hasebe
Missed (hit the crossbar) Komano
Honda

29 June 2010
20:30
Spain  1 – 0  Portugal Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 62,955
Referee: Héctor Baldassi (Argentina)
Villa Goal 63' Report

Quarter-finals[]

The three quarter-finals between European and South American teams all resulted in wins for Europeans. Germany had a 4–0 victory over Argentina, Netherlands came from behind to beat Brazil 2–1, while Spain reached the final four for the first time since 1950 after a 1–0 win over Paraguay. Uruguay, the only South American team to reach the semi-finals, overcame Ghana in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw in which Ghana missed a penalty at the end of extra time.

2 July 2010
16:00
Netherlands  2 – 1  Brazil Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Attendance: 40,186
Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)
Sneijder Goal 53'68' Report Robinho Goal 10'

2 July 2010
20:30
Uruguay  1 – 1 (a.e.t.)  Ghana Soccer City, Johannesburg
Attendance: 84,017
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal)
Forlán Goal 55' Report Muntari Goal 45+2'
  Penalties  
Forlán
Victorino
Scotti
M. Pereira Missed
Abreu
4 – 2 Gyan
Appiah
Missed (saved) Mensah
Missed (saved) Adiyiah

3 July 2010
16:00
Argentina  0 – 4  Germany Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 64,100
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Report Müller Goal 3'
Klose Goal 68'89'
Friedrich Goal 74'

3 July 2010
20:30
Paraguay  0 – 1  Spain Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Attendance: 55,359
Referee: Carlos Batres (Guatemala)
Report Villa Goal 83'

Semi-finals[]

The Netherlands qualified for the final for the third time with a 3–2 win over Uruguay. Spain reached their first ever final with a 1–0 victory over Germany. As a result, it was the first World Cup final not to include any of the four most successful nations: Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina.

6 July 2010
20:30
Uruguay  2 – 3  Netherlands Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 62,479
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Forlán Goal 41'
M. Pereira Goal 90+2'
Report Van Bronckhorst Goal 18'
Sneijder Goal 70'
Robben Goal 73'

7 July 2010
20:30
Germany  0 – 1  Spain Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 60,960
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
Report Puyol Goal 73'

Third-place play-off[]

Germany defeated Uruguay 3–2 to secure third place. Germany holds the record for most third place finishes in the World Cup (4), while Uruguay holds the record for most fourth place finishes (3).

10 July 2010
20:30
Uruguay  2 – 3  Germany Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Attendance: 36,254
Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)
Cavani Goal 28'
Forlán Goal 51'
Report Müller Goal 19'
Jansen Goal 56'
Khedira Goal 82'

Final[]

Main article:2010 FIFA World Cup Final

The final was held on 11 July 2010 at Soccer City, Johannesburg. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0, with an extra time goal by Andrés Iniesta. Iniesta scored the latest winning goal in a FIFA World Cup final (116'). The win gave Spain their first World Cup title, becoming the eighth team to win it. This made them the first new winner without home advantage since Brazil in 1958, and the first team to win the global showpiece having lost their opening game.

The match was affected by a large number of fouls. Fourteen yellow cards were handed out, more than doubling the previous record for this fixture, set when Argentina and West Germany shared six cards in 1986, and John Heitinga of the Netherlands was sent off for receiving a second yellow card. The Netherlands had chances to score, most notably in the 60th minute when Arjen Robben was released by Wesley Sneijder to be one-on-one with Spain's goalkeeper Iker Casillas, only for Casillas to save the shot with an outstretched leg. For Spain, Sergio Ramos missed a free header from a corner kick when he was unmarked. Iniesta finally broke the deadlock in extra time, scoring a half-volleyed shot from a pass by Cesc Fabregas.

This result marked the first time that two different teams from the same continent had become world champions in succession, and saw Europe reaching ten World Cup titles, surpassing South America's nine titles. Spain became the first team since West Germany in 1974 to win the World Cup as European champions.

A closing ceremony was held before the final, featuring singer Shakira. Afterwards, the former South African President Nelson Mandela made a brief appearance on the pitch, wheeled in by a motorcart.

11 July 2010
20:30
Netherlands  0 – 1 (a.e.t.)  Spain Soccer City, Johannesburg
Attendance: 84,490
Referee: Howard Webb (England)
Report Iniesta Goal 116'

External links[]

2010 FIFA World Cup

Group A  · Group B  · Group C  · Group D  · Group E  · Group F  · Group G  · Group H

Knockout stage  · Quarter-finals  · Semi-finals  · Third place play-off  · Final

Statistics

Template:2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

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