Brazil in the World Cup 2010

Read also: Spain in the World Cup 2014.

Royal Football Federation of Spain.

Main players: Casillas (best goalkeeper in the World in 2009), Xavi Hernandez and Fernando Torres.

FIFA ranking (April 2010): #1. Spain was champion of Euro Cup 2008, beating Germany in the final match, and is one of the favourites to win the World Cup 2010.

Spain finished first of their Group in the European Qualifying (arguably the toughest of all European groups), winning all ten matches, against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Belgium, Estonia and Armenia.

Spain is in Group H of World Cup 2010, and will play the first three matches against: Switzerland (June 16th), Honduras (June 21st) and Chile (June 25th). It is very likely that Spain will finish first of their group, and there is a possibility that Brazil finish second of theirs; in such case, Brazil and Spain would face each other right after the Groups Stage, and one of these countries would return home after only four matches.

Spain Team Roster:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool/England), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), Victor Valdes (Barcelona), David de Gea Quintana (Atletico Madrid).

Defense: Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Osasuña), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).

Midfield: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal/England), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Marcos Senna (Villarreal), David Silva (Valencia), Xavi (Barcelona).

Forward: Santiago Cazorla (Villarreal), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Juan Mata (Valencia), Pedro (Barcelona), Daniel Guiza (Fenerbahçe/Turkey), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla), Fernando Torres (Liverpool/England), David Villa (Valencia).

Coach: Vicente Del Bosque.

Read more about the Spanish Team in the Brazil World Cup.

Germany Football Confederation.

Main players: Michael Ballack (got injured and was ruled out of Cup – who can take Ballack’s place?) and Miroslav Klose.

Fifa ranking (April 2010): #6

Germany finished 1st in their Europe Qualifying Group (8 winnings, 2 draws, no loss), ahead of Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein.

Germany is in Group D of the World Cup 2010 and will play the first three matches against: Australia (June 13th), Serbia (June 18th) and Ghana (June 23rd).

Germany Team Roster:

Goalkeepers: Hans-Joerg Butt (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defense: Dennis Aogo (Hamburg), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)

Midfield: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Sami Khedira (Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen) Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Christian Traesch (Stuttgart), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg)

Forward: Cacau (Stuttgart), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiesling (Bayer Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Koln)

Coach: Joachim Low.

Japan Football Association.

Main players: Shunsuke Nakamura and Keisuke Honda.

Fifa ranking (April 2010): #45

Japan finished the Asian Qualifying with 15 points, behind Australia (20 points), South Korea (16 points) and ahead of North Korea (12 points).

Japan is in Group E of World Cup 2010 and will play the first three matches against: Cameroun (June 14th), Holland (June 19th) and Denmark (June 24th).

Japan Team Roster:

Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata)

Defense: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F-Marinos), Tulio (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

Midfield: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F-Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg/Germany), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscou/Russia), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble/France)

Forward: Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania/Italy), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata)

Coach: Takeshi Okada.

Below, a list of all players which were announced in the past days:

GROUP A

SOUTH AFRICA

Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld/Germany), Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Shu-Aib Walters (Maritzburg United)

Defense: Matthew Booth (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bongani Khumalo (SuperSport United), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa/Israel), Innocent Mdledle (Orlando Pirates), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth/England), Bryce Moon (PAOK Salonika/Greece), Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk/Belgium), Siyabonga Sangweni (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Lucas Thwala (Orlando Pirates)

Midfield: Franklin Cale (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lance Davids (Ajax Cape Town), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham/England), Andile Jali (Orlando Pirates), Thanduyise Khuboni (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Teko Modise (Orlando Pirates), Surprise Moriri (Mamelodi Sundowns), Steven Pienaar (Everton/England), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan/Russia), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs)

Forward: Benni McCarthy (West Ham/England), Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siyabonga Nomvete (Moroka Swallows), Bernard Parker (Twente/Holland).

MEXICO

Goalkeepers: Oscar Perez (Chiapas), Guillermo Ochoa (America), Luis Ernesto Michel (Guadalajara)

Defense: Rafael Marquez (Barcelona/Spain), Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart/Germany), Francisco Rodriguez (PSV/Holland), Carlos Salcido (PSV/Holland), Hector Moreno (AZ Alkmaar/Holland), Paul Aguilar (Pachuca), Efrain Juarez (Pumas UNAM), Jonny Magallon (Guadalajara), Juan Carlos Valenzuela (America), Jorge Torres Nilo (Atlas), Adrian Aldrete (Morelia)

Midfield: Andres Guardado (Deportivo/Spain), Jonathan dos Santos (Barcelona/Spain), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Israel Castro (Pumas UNAM), Giovani dos Santos (Galatasaray/Turkey)

Forward: Pablo Barrera (Pumas UNAM), Adolfo Bautista (Guadalajara), Alberto Medina (Guadalajara), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Veracruz), Carlos Vela (Arsenal/England), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United/England), Guillermo Franco (West Ham/England)

URUGUAY

Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Lazio/Italy), Juan Castillo (Deportivo Cali/Colombia), Martin Silva (Defensor Sporting)

Defense: Diego Lugano (Fenerbahçe/Turkey), Diego Godin (Villarreal/Spain), Andres Scotti (Colo Colo), Mauricio Victorino (Universidad de Chile), Martin Caceres (Juventus/Italy), Jorge Fucile (Porto/Portugal), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica/Portugal)

Midfield: Sebastian Eguren (AIK Estocolmo/Sweden), Alvaro Pereira (Porto/Portugal), Walter Gargano (Napoli/Italy), Diego Perez (Monaco/France), Alvaro Fernandez (Universidad de Chile), Alvaro Gonzalez (Nacional), Jorge Rodriguez (River Plate, do Uruguai), Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax/Holland), Jorge Martinez (Catania/Italy), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Peñarol), Ignacio Gonzalez (Levadiakos/Greece)

Forward: Luis Suarez (Ajax/Holland), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid/Spain), Sebastian Abreu (Botafogo/Brazil), Edinson Cavani (Palermo/Italy), Sebastian Fernandez (Banfield/Argentina)

FRANCE

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Mickael Landreau (Lille)

Defense: Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/England), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/England), William Gallas (Arsenal/England), Eric Abidal (Barcelona/Spain), Rod Fanni (Rennes), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla/Spain), Adil Rami (Lille), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Gael Clichy (Arsenal/England), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon)

Midfield: Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid/Spain), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/England), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Abou Diaby (Arsenal/England), Yann M’Vila (Rennes)

Forward: Thierry Henry (Barcelona/Spain), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/England), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Franck Ribery (Bayern de Munique), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Djibril Cisse (Panathinaikos/Greece), Hatem Ben Arfa (Olympique de Marseille), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique de Marseille), Jimmy Briand (Rennes)

GROUP B

ARGENTINA

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar/Holland), Mariano Andujar (Catania/Italy), Diego Pozo (Colon)

Defense: Gabriel Heinze (Olympique de Marseille), Martin Demichelis (Bayern de Munique), Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield), Walter Samuel (Inter de Milão), Juan Insaurralde (Newell’s Old Boys), Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes de La Plata), Nicolas Burdisso (Roma/Italy), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle/England), Ariel Garce (Colon)

Midfield: Javier Mascherano (Liverpool/England), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Angel Di Maria (Benfica/Portugal), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina/Italy), Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes de La Plata), Jose Sosa (Estudiantes de La Plata), Javier Pastore (Palermo/Italy), Jesus Datolo (Olympiakos/Greece), Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors), Sebastian Blanco (Lanus), Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool/England)

Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Spain), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid/Spain), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City/England), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid/Spain), Diego Milito (Inter de Milão/Italy), Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli/Italy)

NIGERIA

Goalkeepers: Dele Aiyegnugba (Bnei Yehuda/Israel), Bassey Akpan (Bayelsa United), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petach Tikva/Israel), Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv/Israel)

Defense: Dele Adeleye (Sparta/Holland), Rabiu Afolabi (Salzburg/Áustria), Onyekachi Apam (Nice/France), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes/France), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscou/Russia), Danny Shittu (Bolton/England), Terna Suswan (Lobi Stars), Taye Taiwo (Olympique de Marseille/France), Joseph Yobo (Everton/England)

Midfield: Yusuf Ayila (Dynamo Kiev/Ucrânia), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham/England), Sani Kaita (Alania Vladikavhaz/Russia), Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth/England), Haruna Lukman (Monaco/France), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea/England), Ike Uche (Zaragoza/Spain), Kalu Uche (Almeria/Spain), John Utaka (Portsmouth/England)

Forward: Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton/England), Victor Anichebe (Everton/England), Ideye Brown (Sochaux/France), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg/Germany), Obinna Nsofor (Málaga/Spain), Chinedu Obasi (Hoffenheim/Germany), Peter Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscou/Russia), Peter Utaka (Odense/Denmark)

SOUTH KOREA

Goalkeepers: Lee Woon-jae (Suwon), Kim Young-kwang (Ulsan), Jung Sung-ryong (Seongnam)

Defense: Cha Du-ri (Freiburg/Germany), Hwang Jae-won (Pohang), Kwak Tae-hwi (Kyoto), Kim Hyung-il (Pohang), Lee Jung-soo (Kashima/Japan), Lee Young-pyo (Al Hilal/Emirados Árabes Unidos), Kang Min-soo (Suwon), Oh Beom-seok (Ulsan), Cho Yong-hyung (Jeju), Kim Dong-jin (Ulsan)

Midfield: Kim Chi-woo (Seoul), Kim Nam-il (Tom Tomsk/Russia), Cho Won-hee (Suwon), Ki Sung-yong (Celtic/Scotland), Kim Jung-woo (Gwangju), Park Ji-sung (Manchester United/England), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton/England), Shin Hyung-min (Pohang), Kim Jae-sung (Pohang), Kim Bo-kyung (Oita Trinita/Japan), Koo Ja-cheol (Jeju)

Forward: Lee Seung-yueng (Seoul), Ahn Jung-hwan (Dalian Shide/China), Park Chu-young (Monaco/France), Lee Keun-ho (Jubilo Iwata/Japan), Lee Dong-guk (Jeonbuk), Yeom Ki-hun (Suwon)

GREECE

Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Salonika), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK Salonika).

Defense: Giorgos Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos), Evangelos Moras (Bologna/England), Socrates Papastathopoulos (Genoa/Italy), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool/England), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK Salonika), Giorgos Tzavellas (Panionios), Kostas Manolas (AEK Atenas), Giorgos Galitsios (Olympiakos), Stergos Marinos (Panathinaikos)

Midfield: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Sakis Prittas (Aris Salonika), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Panathinaikos)

Forward: Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg/Germany), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucaresti/Romênia), Theofanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin/Germany), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic/Escócoa), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiakos)

GROUP C

ENGLAND

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Manchester City)

Defense: Ashley Cole (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Leighton Baines (Everton), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), James Milner (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Scott Parker (West Ham), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forward: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Darren Bent (Sunderland), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham).

USA

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa/England), Tim Howard (Everton/England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton/England)

Defense: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes/France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas/Mexico), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover/Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford/England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start/Norway), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Milan/Italy), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham/England)

Midfield: DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers/Scotland), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro/Sweden), Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach/Germany), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham/England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers/Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus/Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton/England), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Jos Torres (Pachuca/Germany)

Forward: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal/Spain), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla/Mexico), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessalonica/Greece)

ALGERIA

Goalkeepers: Faouzi Chaouchi (Entente Setif), Lounes Gaouaoui (ASO Chlef), Rais Ouheb Mbouli (Slavia Sofia/Bulgária), Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (Mouloudia Algiers)

Defense: Habib Belaid (Boulogne/France), Nader Belhadj (Portsmouth/England), Majid Bougherra (Rangers/Scotland), Rafik Halliche (Nacional/Portugal), Abdelkader Laifaoui (Entente Setif), Carl Medjani (Ajaccio/France), Mohamed Meftah (JS Kabylie), Djamel Mesbah (Lecce/Italy), Hocine Metref (Entente Setif), Antar Yahia (Bochum/Germany)

Midfield: Djamel Abdoun (Nantes/France), Lazhar Hadj Aissa (Entente Setif), Riad Boudebouz (Sochaux/France), Adlane Guedioura (Wolverhampton/England), Fouad Kadir (Valenciennes/France), Medhi Lacen (Racing/Spain), Khaled Lemmouchia (Entente Setif), Yazid Mansouri (Lorient/France), Mourad Meghni (Lazio/Italy), Hassan Yebda (Portsmouth/England), Karim Ziani (Wolfsburg/Germany)

Forward: Amri Chadli (Kaiserslautern/Germany), Rafik Djebbour (AEK Atenas/Greece), Abdelkader Ghezzal (Siena/Italy), Karim Matmour (Borussia Monchengladbach/Germany), Rafik Saifi (Istres/France)

SLOVENIA

Goalkeepers: Samir Handanovic (Udinese/Italy), Jasmin Handanovic (Mantova/Italy), Aleksander Seliga (Sparta/Holland), Jan Koprivec (Maribor).

Defense: Bojan Jokic (Chievo/Italy), Marko Suler (Ghent/Belgium), Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble/France), Branko Ilic (Lokomotiv Moscou/Russia), Matej Mavric (Koblenz), Dejan Kelhar (Cercle Brugge/Belgium), Elvedin Dzinic (Maribor), Miso Brecko (Colônia/Russia), Aleksandar Rajcevic (Koper), Suad Filekovic (Maribor).

Midfield: Andraz Kirm (Wisla Cracóvia/Polônia), Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv/Israel), Rene Krhin (Inter de Milão/Italy), Mirnes Sisic (Giannina/Greece), Darjan Matic (Rapid Bucaresti/Romênia), Dare Vrsic (Koper), Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse/Holland), Robert Koren (West Bromwich/England), Aleksander Radosavljevic (Larissa/Greece), Valter Birsa (Auxerre/France).

Forward: Milivoje Novakovic (Colônia/Germany), Zlatko Dedic (Bochum/Germany), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Ghent/Belgium), Nejc Pecnik (Nacional/Portugal), Miran Burgic (AIK Solna/Sweden), Tim Matavz (Groningen/Holland)

GROUP D

GERMANY

Goalkeepers: Hans-Joerg Butt (Bayern de Munique), Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defense: Dennis Aogo (Hamburgo), Holger Badstuber (Bayern de Munique), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Hamburgo) Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Hamburgo), Philipp Lahm (Bayern de Munique), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)

Midfield: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Sami Khedira (Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen) Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern de Munique), Christian Traesch (Stuttgart), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburgo)

Forward: Cacau (Stuttgart) Mario Gomez (Bayern de Munique), Stefan Kiesling (Bayer Leverkusen) Miroslav Klose (Bayern de Munique), Thomas Müller (Bayern de Munique), Lukas Podolski (Colônia)

AUSTRALIA

Goalkeepers: Mark Schwarzer (Fulham/England), Adam Federici (Reading/England), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough/England), Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide United)

Defense: Lucas Neill (Galatasaray/Turkey), Craig Moore (sem clube), Scott Chipperfield (Basel/Switzerland), David Carney (Twente/Holland), Luke Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscou/Russia), Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough/England), Shane Lowry (Aston Villa/England), Mark Milligan (JEF United/Japan), Jade North (Tromso/Norway), Michael Beauchamp (Al-Jazzira/Emirados Árabes Unidos)

Midfield: Tim Cahill (Everton/England), Mark Bresciano (Palermo/Italy) Vince Grella (Blackburn/England) Brett Emerton (Blackburn/England), Jason Culina (Gold Coast), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray/Turkey), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar/Holland), Carl Valeri (Sassuolo/Italy), Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor/Turkey), Richard Garcia (Hull City/England), Nick Carle (Crystal Palace/England), Tommy Oar (Utrecht/Holland), Dario Vidosic (Nuremberg/Germany), James Holland (AZ Alkmaar/Holland)

Forward: Josh Kennedy (Nagoya/Japan), Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough/England), Nikita Rukavytsya (Twente/Holland)

SERBIA

Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Sporting/Portugal), Zeljko Brkic (Vojvodina Novi Sad), Bojan Isailovic (Zaglebie Lubin/Polônia), Andjelko Djuricic (Uniao Leiria/Portugal).

Defense: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea/England), Antonio Rukavina (Munich 1860/Germany), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United/England), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese/Italy), Jagos Vukovic (PSV/Holland), Ivan Obradovic (Zaragoza/Spain), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio/Italy), Slobodan Rajkovic (Twente/Holland).

Midfield: Dejan Stankovic (Inter de Milão/Italy), Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin/Germany), Nenad Milijas (Wolverhampton/England), Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart/Germany), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade), Milos Krasic (CSKA Moscou/Russia), Zoran Tosic (Manchester United/England), Milos Ninkovic (Dynamo Kiev/Ucrânia), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege/Belgium), Nemanja Matic (Chelsea/England), Nemanja Tomic (Partizan Belgrade).

Forward: Nikola Zigic (Valencia/Spain), Marko Pantelic (Ajax/Holland), Danko Lazovic (Zenit St. Petersburg/Russia), Dejan Lekic (Estrela Vermelha), Miralem Sulejmani (Ajax/Holland), Dragan Mrdja (Vojvodina Novi Sad).

GHANA

Goalkeepers: Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professional), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars), Stephen Aholu (Heart of Lions), Richard Kingson (Wigan/England)

Defense: Eric Addo (Roda/Holland), Lee Addy (Bechem Chelsea), Rahim Ayew (Zamalek/Egito), Samuel Inkoom (FC Basel/Switzerland), John Mensah (Sunderland/England), Jonathan Mensah (Udinese/Italy), John Paintsil (Fulham/England), Hans Sarpei (Bayer Leverkusen), Isaac Vorsah (Hoffenheim/Germany)

Midfield: Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese/Italy), Anthony Annan (Rosenborg/Norway), Stephen Appiah (Bologna/Italy), Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese/Italy), Dede Ayew (Arles Avignon/France), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth/England), Haminu Dramani (Lokomotiv Moscou/Russia), Michael Essien (Chelsea/England), Laryea Kingston (Hearts of Midlothian/Scotland), Bernard Kumordzi (Panionios/Greece), Sulley Muntari (Inter de Milão/Italy), Quincy Owusu Abeyie (Al Sadd/Qatar)

Forward: Dominic Adiyiah (Milan/Italy), Matthew Amoah (NAC Breda/Holland), Derek Boateng (Getafe/Spain), Asamoah Gyan (Rennes/France), Prince Tagoe (Hoffenheim/Germany)

GROUP E

HOLLAND

Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Sander Boschker (Twente), Michel Vorm (Utrecht)

Defense: Vurnon Anita (Ajax), Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart/Germany), Edson Braafheid (Celtic/Scotland), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), John Heitinga (Everton/England), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburgo/Germany), Andre Ooijer (PSV), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax)

Midfield: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV), Otman Bakkal (PSV), Mark van Bommel (Bayern de Munique), Wout Brama (Twente), Orlando Engelaar (PSV), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City/England), David Mendes da Silva (AZ Alkmaar), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar), Wesley Sneijder (Inter de Milão/Italy), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid/Spain), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax)

Forward: Ryan Babel (Liverpool/England), Eljero Elia (Hamburgo/Germany), Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Milan/Italy), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool/England), Jeremain Lens (AZ Alkmaar), Robin van Persie (Arsenal/England), Arjen Robben (Bayern de Munique)

DENMARK

Goalkeepers: Thomas Sorensen (Stoke City/England), Stephan Andersen (Brondby), Kim Christensen (IFK Goteburgo/Sweden), Jesper Christiansen (Copenhagen),

Defense: William Kvist (Copenhagen), Lars Jacobsen (Blackburn/England), Simon Kjaer (Palermo/Italy), Per Kroldrup (Fiorentina/Italy), Daniel Agger (Liverpool/England), Patrick Mtiliga (Malaga/Spain), Leon Jessen (FC Midtjylland), Simon Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar/Holland), Anders Christensen (OB Odense),

Midfield: Martin Jorgensen (AGF Aarhus), Christian Poulsen (Juventus/Italy), Daniel Jensen (Werder Bremen/Germany), Jakob Poulsen (AGF Aarhus), Michael Silberbauer (Utrecht/Holland), Dennis Rommedahl (Ajax/Holland), Christian Eriksen (Ajax/Holland), Thomas Enevoldsen (Groningen/Holland), Mikkel Beckmann (Randers), Thomas Kahlenberg (Wolfsburg/Germany), Jesper Gronkjaer (FC Copenhagen), Mikkel Thygesen (FC Midtjylland), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Brondby)

Forward: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Feyenoord/Holland), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal/England), Soren Larsen (Duisburg/Germany), Morten Rasmussen (Celtic/Scotland).

JAPAN

Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata)

Defense: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F-Marinos), Tulio (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

Midfield: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F-Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg/Germany), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscou/Russia), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble/France)

Forward: Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania/Italy), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata)

CAMEROUN

Goalkeepers: Guy Roland N’Dy Assembe (Valenciennes/France), Idriss Carlos Kameni (Espanyol/Spain), Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor/Turkey), Patrick Tignyemb (Bloemfontein Celtic/South Africa)

Defense: Patrick Abouna (Astres Douala), Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham/England), Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham/England), Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes/France), Aurelien Chedjou (Lille/France), Geremi (Ankaragucu/Turkey), Boukar Makadji (Al Nahdha/Omã), Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco/France), Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor/Turkey)

Midfield: Achille Emana (Betis/Spain), Enoh Eyong (Ajax/Holland), Jean Makoun (Lyon/France), Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern/Germany), Joel Matip (Schalke 04/Germany), Patrick Mevoungou (Canon Yaounde), Marcel Ndjeng (Augsburg/Germany), Landry Nguemo (Celtic/Scotland), Alexandre Song (Arsenal/England)

Forward: Vincent Aboubakar (Coton Sport), Eric Choupo-Mating (Nuremburg/Germany), Paul Alo’o Efoulou (Nancy/France), Samuel Eto’o (Inter de Milão/Italy), Mohamadou Idrissou (Freiburg/Germany), Dorge Kouemaha (Club Bruges/Belgium), Achille Webo (Mallorca/Spain), Jacques Zoua (Basel/Switzerland)

GROUP F

ITALY

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo).

Defense: Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Leonardo Bonucci (Bari), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Fabio Grosso (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Gianluca Zambrotta (Milan).

Midfield: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Antonio Candreva (Juventus), Andrea Cossu (Cagliari), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (Milan), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Andrea Pirlo (Milan).

Forward: Marco Borriello (Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal).

PARAGUAY

Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Valladolid/Spain), Aldo Bobadilla (Independiente Medellin/Colombia), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteño)

Defense: Denis Caniza (Leon), Paulo Da Silva (Sunderland/England), Claudio Morel (Boca Juniors/Argentina), Julio Cesar Caceres (Atletico-MG/Brazil), Carlos Bonet (Olimpia), Julio Manzur (Olimpia), Dario Veron (Pumas UNAM/Mexico), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo/Argentina), Antolin Alcaraz (Club Bruges/Belgium), Marcos Caceres (Racing/Argentina)

Midfield: Edgar Barreto (Atalanta/Italy), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul/Mexico), Osvaldo Martinez (Monterrey/Mexico), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg/Germany), Victor Caceres (Libertad), Enrique Vera (LDU Quito/Equador), Sergio Aquino (Libertad), Eduardo Ledesma (Lanus/Argentina), Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos Juniors/Argentina)

Forward: Marcelo Estigarribia (Newell’s Old Boys/Argentina), Jorge Achucarro (Newell’s Old Boys/Argentina), Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City/England), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica/Portugal), Edgar Benitez (Pachuca/Mexico), Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad)

NEW ZEALAND

Goalkeepers: James Bannatyne (Team Wellington), Glen Moss (Melbourne Victory), Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix)

Defense: Andy Boyens (New York Red Bulls/USA), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn/England), Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland/Denmark), Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town/England), Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City)

Midfield: Andy Barron (Team Wellington), Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix), Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets), Tim Brown (Wellington Phoenix), Jeremy Christie (Tampa Bay Rowdies/USA), Aaron Clapham (Canterbury United), Simon Elliott (sem contrato), Michael McGlinchey (Central Coast Mariners), David Mulligan (sem contrato)

Forward: Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argyle/England), Chris Killen (Middlesbrough/England), Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast/Austrália), Chris Wood (West Bromwich/England)

SLOVAKIA

Goalkeepers: Jan Mucha (Legia Varsóvia/Polônia), Dusan Kuciak (Vaslui), Lubos Kamenar (Nantes/France), Dusan Permis (Dundee United/Scotland).

Defense: Peter Pekarik (Wolfsburg/Germany), Martin Petras (Cesena/Italy), Martin Skrtel (Liverpool/England), Lubomir Michalik (Leeds United/England), Jan Durica (Lokomotiv Moscou/Russia), Radoslav Zabavnik (Mainz/Germany), Marek Cech (West Bromwich/England), Tomas Hubocan (Zenit St. Petersburg/Russia), Kornel Salata (Slovan Bratislava).

Midfield: Kamil Kopunek (Spartak Trnava), Jan Kozak (Timisoara), Juraj Kucka (Sparta Praga/República Tcheca), Miroslav Karhan (Mainz/Germany), Marek Sapara (Ankaragucu/Turkey), Mario Pecalka (MSK Zilina), Stanislav Sestak (Bochum/Germany), Marek Hamsik (Napoli/Italy), Vladimir Weiss (Manchester City/England), Miroslav Stoch (Chelsea/England), Dusan Svento (Salzburg/Áustria), Zdeno Strba (Skoda Xanthi/Greece).

Forward: Erik Jendrisek (Schalke 04/Germany), Robert Vittek (Ankaragucu/Turkey), Martin Jakubko (Saturn/Russia), Filip Holosko (Besiktas/Turkey)

GROUP G

BRAZIL

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter de Milão/Italy), Doni (Roma/Italy), Gomes (Tottenham/England)

Defense: Maicon (Inter de Milão/Italy), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/Spain), Michel Bastos (Lyon/France), Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Lucio (Inter de Milão/Italy), Juan (Roma/Italy), Luisão (Benfica/Portugal), Thiago Silva (Milan/Italy)

Midfield: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos/Greece), Felipe Melo (Fiorentina/Italy), Ramires (Benfica/Portugal), Elano (Galatasaray/Turkey), Kaka (Real Madrid/Spain), Julio Baptista (Roma/Italy), Kléberson (Flamengo), Josue (Wolfsburg/Germany).

Forward: Robinho (Santos), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/Spain), Nilmar (Villarreal/Spain), Grafite (Wolfsburg/Germany).

NORTH KOREA

Goalkeepers: Kim Myong-gil (Amrokgang), Kim Myong-won (Amrokgang), Ri Myong-guk (Pyongyang City)

Defense: Cha Jong-hyok (Amrokgang), Nam Song-chol (April 25), Pak Chol-jin (Amrokgang), Pak Nam-chol (Amrokgang), Ri Jun-il (Sobaeksu), Ri Kwang-chon (April 25), Ri Kwang-hyok (Kyonggongop)

Midfield: An Yong-hak (Omiya Ardija/Japan), Ji Yun-nam (April 25), Kim Kyong-il (Rimyongsu), Kim Yong-jun (Pyongyang City), Mun In-guk (April 25), Ri Chol-myong (Pyongyang City), Pak Nam-chol (April 25), Pak Sung-hyok (Sobaeksu),

Forward: An Chol-hyok (Rimyongsu), Choe Kum-chol (April 25), Hong Yong-jo (Rostov/Russia), Jong Tae-se (Kawasaki Frontale/Japan), Kim Kum-il (April 25)

IVORY COAST

Goalkeepers: Vincent Angban (ASEC Abidjan), Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/Belgium), Aristides Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya/Israel), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Abidjan).

Defense: Souleymane Bamba (Hibernian/Scotland), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart/Germany), Benjamin Brou Angoua (Valenciennes/France), Guy Demel (Hamburgo/Germany), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal/England), Abdoulaye Meite (West Bromwich/England), Steve Gohouri (Wigan/England), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes/France), Kolo Toure (Manchester City/England).

Midfield: Emerse Fae (Nantes/France), Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Monaco/France), Abdelkader Keita (Galatasaray/Turkey), Emmanuel Kone (International Curtea Arges/Romênia), Gervais Yao Kouassi (Lille/France), Christian Koffi Ndri (Sevilla/Spain), Cheik Ismael Tiote (Twente/Holland), Yaya Toure (Barcelona/Spain), Gilles Yapi Yapo (Young Boys/Switzerland), Didier Zokora (Sevilla/Spain).

Forward: Kanga Akale (Lens/France), Aruna Dindane (Lens/France), Seydou Doumbia (Young Boys/Switzerland), Didier Drogba (Chelsea/England), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea/England), Bakary Kone (Olympique de Marseille/France).

PORTUGAL

Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Braga), Daniel Fernandes (Iraklis/Greece), Beto (Porto).

Defense: Miguel (Valencia/Spain), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea/England), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea/England), Bruno Alves (Porto), Rolando (Porto), Ricardo Costa (Lille/France), Duda (Malaga/Spain), Fabio Coentrao (Benfica).

Midfield: Pedro Mendes (Sporting), Pepe (Real Madrid/Spain), Ze Castro (Deportivo/Spain), Tiago (Atletico Madrid/Spain), Deco (Chelsea/England), Raul Meireles (Porto), Miguel Veloso (Sporting).

Forward: Simão Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid/Spain), Danny (Zenit St Petersburg/Russia), Liedson (Sporting), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen/Germany), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Spain), Nani (Manchester United/England).

GROUP H

SPAIN

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool/England), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), Victor Valdes (Barcelona), David de Gea (Atletico Madrid).

Defense: Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Osasuña), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).

Midfield: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal/England), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Marcos Senna (Villarreal), David Silva (Valencia), Xavi (Barcelona).

Forward: Santi Cazorla (Villarreal), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Juan Mata (Valencia), Pedro (Barcelona), Daniel Guiza (Fenerbahçe/Turkey), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla), Fernando Torres (Liverpool/England), David Villa (Valencia).

SWITZERLAND

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg/Germany), Johnny Leoni (FC Zurich), Marco Woelfli (Young Boys).

Defense: Mario Eggimann (Hanover 96/Germany), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre/France), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio/Italy), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal/England), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt/England), Steve Von Bergen (Hertha Berlin/Germany), Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria/Italy).

Midfield: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen/Germany), Valon Behrami (West Ham/England), Gelson Fernandes (St Etienne/France), Benjamin Huggel (FC Basel), Marco Padalino (Sampdoria/Italy), Pirmin Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany), Goklan Inler (Udinese/Italy).

Forward: Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen/Germany), Alexander Frei (FC Basel), Blaise Nkufo (Twente/Holland), Hakan Yakin (FC Luzern), Xherdan Shaqiri (FC Basel), Marco Streller (FC Basel).

HONDURAS

Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Donis Escober (Olimpia), Ricardo Canales (Motagua)

Defense: Sergio Mendoza (Motagua), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Mauricio Sabillon (Hangzhou Greentown/China), Osman Chavez (Platense), Johnny Palacios (Olimpia), Boniek Garcia (Olimpia), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan/England), Victor Bernardez (Anderlecht/Belgium)

Midfield: Danilo Turcios (Olimpia), Ramon Nunez (Olimpia), Hendry Thomas (Wigan/England), Edgard Alvarez (Bari/Italy), Roger Espinoza (Kansas City Wizards/USA), Amado Guevara (Motagua), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham/England), Julio Cesar de Leon (Torino/Italy)

Forward: Walter Martinez (Marathon), Georgie Welcome (Motagua), Carlos Pavon (Real Espana), David Suazo (Genoa/Italy)

CHILE

Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad/Spain), Miguel Pinto (Universidad de Chile), Luis Marin (Union Espanola).

Defense: Waldo Ponce (Universidad Católica), Gonzalo Jara (West Bromwich/England), Gary Medel (Boca Juniors/Argentina), Mauricio Isla (Udinese/Italy), Pablo Contreras (PAOK Salonika/Greece), Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Católica).

Midfield: Marco Estrada (Universidad de Chile), Manuel Iturra (Universidad de Chile), Roberto Cereceda (Colo Colo), Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo), Jose Fuenzalida (Colo Colo), Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen/Germany), Carlos Carmona (Reggina/Italy), Jorge Valdivia (Al Ain/Emirados Árabes Unidos), Matias Fernandez (Sporting/Portugal), Jean Beausejour (Club America/Mexico), Pedro Morales (Dinamo Zagreb/Croatia), Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo/Brazil), Charles Aranguiz (Colo Colo), Jaime Valdes (Atalanta/Italy), Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas/Turkey).

Forward: Humberto Suazo (Zaragoza/Spain), Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo), Hector Mancilla (Toluca/Mexico), Alexis Sanchez (Udinese/Italy), Fabian Orellana (Xerez/Spain), Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscou/Russia).

Brazil will play against North Korea on June 15th 2010, in Johannesburg; that will be the first match of Brazil in the World Cup 2010.

This will be the first time that Brazil will face North Korea. North Korea is a very closed communist country (the North Korean Government announced that the World Cup will be censored, and only images favorable to the country will be aired – which means that it is likely that the Cup will not exist for Korean citizens), and very seldom performs in non-official matches.

Coincidentally, Brazil is one of the countries in the world which best knows the football in North Korea. There is a team, currently disputing the Second Division in Sao Paulo, called Clube Atletico Sorocaba; in 2000, Atletico Sorocaba was purchased by Reverend Moon, a controversial religious leader born in Korea. Thanks to these connections, Atletico Sorocaba played a friendly match against the North Korea national team in November of 2009, which finished 0 x 0.

North Korea played in only one Cup, in England 1966; in that Cup, Korea lost to Soviet Union, tied with Chile and got past the groups stage by winning Italy; in the quarter-finals, Korea lost to Portugal by 3 x 5, after being leading by 3 x 0.

Coach Dunga said in an interview that North Korea being unknown shall be a reason of concern, not of oblivion; besides the surprising role in England 1966, Korea surprised also by winning Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Qualifying, and by winning recent FIFA World Cups for Young Women.

However, nobody in Brazil thinks of anything but a victory over Korea. Brazil hope (but many Brazilians don’t expect) that Portugal win Ivory Coast in the first round, Brazil win Ivory Coast in the second round, so that Brazil vs Portugal can be just a friendly match.

The first stage of the World Cup is drawn in a way so as to spread the strongest teams evenly across each group. So, the matches which should draw more attention during this stage are probably England vs. USA, Netherlands vs. Denmark, Brazil vs. Portugal and Spain vs. Chile, thanks mostly to historic rivalries.

What can happen after this first stage?

In the 2006 World Cup, six of the eight seeds finished first in the groups stage. The two seeds which failed were Mexico (outdone by Portugal) and France (who couldn’t beat South Korea and were outperformed by Switzerland). So, it’s quite a good assumption that most seed countries finish first in their groups.

Let’s make the assumption that France will finish first in group A (the seed of his group is South Africa, but just because they are the host country – France is clearly superior; in 2006, the host which became seed was Germany, which clearly deserved it), and all other seeds finish first in the other groups.

So, the leaders of the groups stage would be, from 1A to 1H: France, Argentina, England, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Brazil and Spain.

If this happens, and given the match schedule above, in the round of 16 Brazil would play against the 2nd of group H, probably Switzerland or Chile.

If all the seeds get past this round of 16, we would have the following matches in the quarter-finals: France x England, Netherlands x Brazil, Argentina x Germany, Italy x Spain.

If Brazil wins Netherlands, then the next match would be against France or England in the semi-final, and the final match would be Brazil against Argentina, Germany, Italy or Spain.

However, Brazil is said to be in the Group of Death, which means that there are plausible chances that we finish 2nd in the group. If that happens, the situation changes completely.

Brazil and Spain, the two main favorites to win the World Cup, would face each other very early in the tournament, right after the group stage (one of these teams would go home three rounds before the final). If Brazil wins, then next would probably be Italy in the quarter-finals, Argentina or Germany in the semi-finals and the final would be against France, England, Netherlands or Portugal.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final matches comprise a total of 13 matches, which will sure be very thrilling.

Michael Ballack declared in an interview to German magazine Kicker that Germany is not one of the favorites too win the World Cup 2010.

Ballack, currently playing with Chelsea, is captain of the German national team, and played in the 2002 and 2006 Cups.

He said in the interview that the German team “do not have the consistency or strength in depth in the squad at the moment”, and “in friendly matches we have been too weak to be able to say that we have the class and routine to beat everybody else”; in the last three matches, Germany lost to Russia (0 x 1), tied with Finland (1 x 1) and with Ivory Coast (2 x 2).

In the first stage of the World Cup, Germany will face Australia, Serbia and Ghana; about them, Ballack said: “we have a tough group and all three opponents are uncomfortable and physically very strong”.

Does he really mean it?

Today, Germany is the 6th in the FIFA ranking. Betters put Germany as the 5th favorite to win the Cup, with odds ranging fro 10/1 to 12/1.

And more important, Germany, along with Brazil, Italy and Argentina, are the countries with most tradition in World Cups. In all the World Cup finals since the first event in 1930, at least one of these countries has been present (and in six Cups, two of them were present).

No matter how weak these countries may look before the Cup begins, they will always rank among the favorites.

Brazil and Portugal will play on June 25nd 2010 in Durban. This is going to be third match of each team in the World Cup 2010 (sooner, they both will play against North Korea and Ivory Coast – see groups here).

Brazil and Portugal have faced each other in 18 matches (only 11 countries have more matches against Brazil than Portugal; England, with 23 matches, is the only European country in that list). Brazil won 12 matches, Portugal won 4, and there were 2 draws; Brazil scored 36 goals, Portugal scored 15.

In World Cups, there was only one match, in England 1966. The records of the match are here. The match was in Liverpool on July 19th 1966; the ticket costed £ 2.2, or about US$ 3.5 (in South Africa, a ticket for the eighth finals would cost at least US$ 100; check out prices of tickets of the World Cup 2010). After beating Brazil, Portugal faced and won North Korea, which was then playing their first and only World Cup.

Brazil was then defending champion, but the team was resenting the retirement of the generation which won in 1962 (which was basically the same team which had won in 1958 – older, though) and the new generation which would win in 1970.

Portugal had then Eusébio, considered until today the best Portuguese player ever and one of the best European players. Brazil had Pelé, but he had been injured in previous matches, and still had to face the violence of Portuguese defense.

Despite this defeat (and despite the three centuries of Metropolis-Colony relationship), Brazilians never had a feeling of rivalry towards the Portuguese (as we have, for example, with Argentina, Uruguay and, lately, France).

Several Brazilian players have not only moved to Portugal, but also adopted Portuguese nationality; currently, three Brazilian born players, Deco, Liedson and Pepe, are principals in the Portugal team (which led Brazilian coach Dunga to say that Portugal is a kind of Brazil B – to which Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz responded that Brazil would be a Portugal C or D, given that most Brazilian players have Portuguese ancestry).

In the last World Cup, Portugal was coached by Luis Felipe Scollari, who had been champion with Brazil in 2002. After Brazil was eliminated by France, all Brazilians sided with Portugal (which would also be eliminated by France).

In the last match, in November 2008 in Brazil, we won easily by 6 x 2.

In 2010, Portugal will have the additional advantage of having more support in the stadium (500,000 Portuguese live in South Africa).

Today, FIFA conducted the final draw to determine the groups in the first stage of the World Cup 2010.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana,
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Brazil is seed of group G. The Brazilian Confederation is happy: if Brazil reaches the final match, four of the seven matches will be played in Johannesburg; so, the team will have to displace less often across host cities, and will have more time for training.

Brazil will play the first match against North Korea on June 15th 2010 in Johannesburg, then Cote d’Ivoire on June 20th again in Johannesburg, and Portugal on June 25th in Durban.

If Brazil finishes first of group G, then will play against the second of group H again in Johannesburg on June 28th; if Brazil finishes second, will play against the first of group H in Cape Town on June 29th.

Brazil has never played against North Korea and Cote d’Ivoire (considering only adult male teams). Brazil played several times against Portugal, including one match in the World Cup 1966, which Portugal won by 3×1.

The bidding process for the World Cups of 2018 and 2022 gained a strong boost today, December 4th 2009; see reports by the BBC and USA Today.

FIFA has not announced the start of an official process, but bidding countries are taking advantage of the presence of delegates from all over the world in the final draw for the 2010 World Cup to start promoting themselves.

Each of the ten bidders exhibited a four-minute movie describing the potentials of each country, in a giant tent in a government residence in Cape Town, just a few hours before the draw of the 2010 Cup.

Candidate countries for the 2018 Cup or 2022 Cup are Australia, England, Russia, USA (who hosted the 1994 World Cup), plus joint bids bid Portugal-Spain and Netherlands-Belgium. Indonesia, Qatar and South Korea are bidders for 2022. Japan (who was host as recently as 2002) is bidding for 2018, but is considering to withdraw and concentrate efforts for the 2022 Cup.

Since 2002, a rotation system across continents has been in place, and the Cups have been in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. FIFA, however, already announced that the rotation ends in 2018:

As from 2018, the hosting of the FIFA World Cup™ will cease to be rotated. Under the chairmanship of President Joseph S. Blatter, the FIFA Executive Committee today – 29 October 2007 – unanimously passed a decision to abandon the principle (originally introduced in the year 2000) of rotating the men’s World Cup from continent to continent. The confederations whose associations have hosted the two preceding World Cups will not be eligible to bid, however. Consequently, all the associations from Asia, North and Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania and Europe may bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.

FIFA will announce the host of the 2018 World Cup in December of 2010.

Brazil is already defined as the host of the 2014 World Cup. FIFA announced Brazil in October 2007, but the process was easier: by force of the rotation across continents, the Cup should happen in South America and, after Colombia withdrew, Brazil remained the sole bidding country.