The FIFA World Cup 2010 – A Brief Overview

The FIFA World Cup 2010 is possibly the biggest event that football fans all over the world are looking forward to. It is a month-long event and is scheduled to take place between the 11th of June and the 11th of July. A total of 32 teams have been qualified for the tournament.

South Africa has been chosen as the host for the FIFA World Cup 2010. This is the first time an African nation has been chosen to host a sports event of this magnitude. This is one of the reasons why the event has garnered so much attention. South Africa defeated Morocco and Egypt in the bidding process and became the host for the 2010 World Cup.

A total of ten stadiums have been prepared to host the FIFA World Cup 2010. South Africa has reportedly spent about R8 billion on upgrading existing venues and constructing new venues. The government has also spent heavily to improve the infrastructure and public transport facility. At first, there were widespread rumors that the event could be relocated to another country. FIFA, however, rubbished these rumors and made it clear that South Africa will host the event for sure.

Zakumi, a colorful anthropomorphized leopard, has been chosen the official mascot for the FIFA World Cup 2010. The leopard has yellow body and green hair which is a symbolic representation of South Africa’s playing strip. You can already find plenty of Zakumi merchandise like t-shirts and caps on the market.

32 countries from different parts of the world will compete against each other in a series of matches as the tournament proceeds. The defending champions, Italy, are pretty confident about their chances in the FIFA World Cup 2010 and are looking to win their fifth title. France, the team which shocked the world by beating Brazil and going to the finals last year, is also favoring its chances. Other teams which are expected to lift the trophy include fan favorites like Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain, and England.

The television rights to broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2010 have been sold for a whopping sum of R25 billion ($2.7 billion). This is unprecedented considering the fact that FIFA received a little over R22 billion for the TV rights of the last two world cups combined. The month long event will be watched by hundreds of millions of viewers all over the world, making it the most widely watched sports event in the world today.