2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
| South Africa 2010 | |
| 2010 FIFA World Cup official logo | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | South Africa |
| Dates | 11 June – 11 July |
| Teams | 32 (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 played | 64 |
| Goals scored | 145 (2.27 per match) |
| Attendance | 3,178,856 (49,670 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | David Villa Diego Forlán Thomas Müller Wesley Sneijder (5 goals) |
| Best player | Diego Forlán |
| ← 20062014 → | |
| v • d • e | |
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for international 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 the capital 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 match.
Spain won the tournament. In the final, the European champions and second-ranked team defeated third-time finalist the Netherlands 1–0 after extra time, with Andrés Iniesta’s goal giving Spain its first-ever world crown. Host nation South Africa, along with former world champions Italy and former runners-up France, were eliminated in the first round of the tournament, with powerhouse nations Argentina, Brazil and Germany leaving the tournament in the knockout stage.
The 2010 finals marked the first time a European nation had won the tournament outside of its home continent, as well as the first time that two different European teams had become world champions in succession. With a pool of entrants comprising 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams at the time, the 2010 World Cup shares with the 2008 Summer Olympics the record for most competing nations in a sporting event.
Contents[hide]
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// Host selection
Main article: FIFA World Cup hosts#2010 FIFA World Cup
People watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Africa was chosen as the host for the 2010 World Cup as part of a short-lived policy, abandoned in 2007,[1] to rotate the event among football confederations. Five African nations placed bids to host the 2010 World Cup: Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and a joint bid from Libya and Tunisia.
Following the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee not to allow co-hosted tournaments, Tunisia withdrew from the bidding process. The committee also decided not to consider Libya’s solo bid as it no longer met all the stipulations laid down in the official List of Requirements.
The winning bid was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter at a media conference on 15 May 2004 in Zürich; in the first round of voting South Africa received 14 votes, Morocco received 10 votes and Egypt no votes. South Africa, which had narrowly failed to win the right to host the 2006 event, was thus awarded the rights to host the tournament.[2]
During 2006 and 2007, rumours circulated in various news sources that the 2010 World Cup could be moved to another country.[3][4] Franz Beckenbauer, Horst R. Schmidt and, reportedly, some FIFA executives, expressed concern over the planning, organisation, and pace of South Africa’s preparations.[3][5] FIFA officials repeatedly expressed their confidence in South Africa as host, stating that a contingency plan existed only to cover natural catastrophes, as had been in place at previous FIFA World Cups.[6]
Qualification
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
The qualification draw for the 2010 World Cup was held in Durban on 25 November 2007. As the host nation, South Africa qualified automatically for the tournament. As happened in the previous tournament, the defending champions were not given an automatic berth, and Italy had to participate in qualification.
| Wikinews has related news: Ireland requests replay of FIFA World Cup play-off with France |
| Wikinews has related news: FIFA to make changes after Thierry Henry handball |
Some controversies took place during the qualifications. In the second leg of the play-off between France and the Republic of Ireland, French captain Thierry Henry, unseen by the referee, handled the ball in the lead up to a late goal, which enabled France to qualify ahead of Ireland, sparking widespread controversy and debate. FIFA rejected a request from the Football Association of Ireland to replay the match,[7] and Ireland later withdrew a request to be included as an unprecedented 33rd World Cup entrant.[8][9] As a result, FIFA announced a review into the use of technology or extra officials at the highest level, but decided against the widely expected fast-tracking of goal-line referee’s assistants for the South African tournament.[10]
Costa Rica complained over Uruguay’s winning goal in the CONMEBOL–CONCACAF playoff,[11] while Egypt and Algeria’s November 2009 matches were surrounded by reports of crowd trouble. On the subject of fair play, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said:
I appeal to all the players and coaches to observe this fair play. In 2010 we want to prove that football is more than just kicking a ball but has social and cultural value … So we ask the players ‘please observe fair play’ so they will be an example to the rest of the world.[12]
List of qualified teams
The following 32 teams, shown with final pre-tournament rankings,[13] qualified for the final tournament.
AFC (4)
CAF (6)
|
CONCACAF (3)
CONMEBOL (5)
OFC (1)
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UEFA (13)
|
Countries qualified for World Cup Country failed to qualify Countries that did not enter World Cup Country not a FIFA member |
Preparations
The Lukasrand Tower in Pretoria sporting a football in anticipation of the World Cup
Five new stadiums were built for the tournament, and five of the existing venues were upgraded. Construction costs were expected to be R8.4 billion (just over US$1 billion.).[14]
South Africa also improved its public transport infrastructure within the host cities, including Johannesburg’s Gautrain and other metro systems, and major road networks were improved.[15] In March 2009, Danny Jordaan, the president of the 2010 World Cup organising committee, reported that all stadiums for the tournament were on schedule to be completed within six months.[16]
The country implemented special measures to ensure the safety and security of spectators in accordance with standard FIFA requirements,[17] including a temporary restriction of flight operation in the airspace surrounding the stadiums.[18]
At a ceremony to mark 100 days before the event, FIFA president Sepp Blatter praised the readiness of the country for the event.[19]
Construction strike
On 8 July 2009, 70,000 construction workers[20] who were working on the new stadiums walked off their jobs.[21] The majority of the workers receive R2500 per month (about £192, €224 or US$313), but the unions alleged that some workers were grossly underpaid. A spokesperson for the National Union of Mineworkers said to the SABC that the “no work no pay” strike would go on until FIFA assessed penalties on the organisers. Other unions threatened to strike into 2011.[22][23] The strike was swiftly dealt with and workers were back at work within a week of it starting. There were no further strikes and all stadiums and construction projects were completed in time for the kick off.[24]
Prize money
The total prize money on offer for the tournament was confirmed by FIFA as $420 million (including payments of $40m to domestic clubs), a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament.[25] Before the tournament, each of the 32 entrants receive $1 million for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, the prize money would be distributed as follows:[25]
- $8 million – To each team exiting after the group stage (16 teams)
- $9 million – To each team exiting after the round of 16 (8 teams)
- $14 million – To each team exiting after the quarter-finals (4 teams)
- $18 million – Fourth placed team
- $20 million – Third placed team
- $24 million – Runner up
- $30 million – Winner
In a first for the World Cup, FIFA made payments to the domestic clubs of the players representing their national teams at the tournament. This saw a total of $40 million paid to domestic clubs. This was the result of an agreement reached in 2008 between FIFA and European clubs to disband the G-14 group and drop their claims for compensation dating back to 2005 over the financial cost of injuries sustained to their players while on international duty, such as that from Belgian club Charleroi S.C. for injury to Morocco’s Abdelmajid Oulmers in a friendly game in 2004, and from English club Newcastle United for an injury to England’s Michael Owen in the 2006 World Cup.[26][27][28]
Venues
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In 2005, the organisers released a provisional list of thirteen venues to be used for the World Cup: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (two venues), Kimberley, Klerksdorp, Nelspruit, Orkney, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg. This was narrowed down to the ten venues[29] that were officially announced by FIFA on 17 March 2006.
The altitude of several venues affected the motion of the ball[30] and impacted player performance,[31][32] although FIFA’s medical chief downplayed this consideration.[33] Six of the ten venues were over 1200m above sea level, with the two Johannesburg stadiums (Soccer City and Ellis Park) the highest at approximately 1750m.[34][35] The stadiums in order of altitude are: Soccer City and Ellis Park Stadium, 1753m; Royal Bafokeng Stadium, 1500m; Free State Stadium, 1400m; Peter Mokaba Stadium, 1310m; Loftus Versfeld Stadium, 1214m; Mbombela Stadium, 660m; Cape Town Stadium, Moses Mabhida Stadium and Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium near sea level.[34][35]
| Johannesburg | Cape Town | Durban | Johannesburg |
| Soccer City[36] | Cape Town Stadium2 | Moses Mabhida Stadium1 | Ellis Park Stadium |
| 26°14′5.27″S 27°58′56.47″E / 26.2347972°S 27.9823528°E / -26.2347972; 27.9823528 (Soccer City) | 33°54′12.46″S 18°24′40.15″E / 33.9034611°S 18.4111528°E / -33.9034611; 18.4111528 (Cape Town Stadium) | 29°49′46″S 31°01′49″E / 29.82944°S 31.03028°E / -29.82944; 31.03028 (Moses Mabhida Stadium) | 26°11′51.07″S 28°3′38.76″E / 26.1975194°S 28.0607667°E / -26.1975194; 28.0607667 (Ellis Park Stadium) |
| Capacity: 84,490 | Capacity: 64,100 | Capacity: 62,760 | Capacity: 55,686 |
| Pretoria |
Johannesburg
Durban
Cape Town
Pretoria
Bloemfontein
Polokwane
Rustenburg
Nelspruit |
Port Elizabeth | |
| Loftus Versfeld Stadium | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | ||
| 25°45′12″S 28°13′22″E / 25.75333°S 28.22278°E / -25.75333; 28.22278 (Loftus Versfeld Stadium) | 33°56′16″S 25°35′56″E / 33.93778°S 25.59889°E / -33.93778; 25.59889 (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium) | ||
| Capacity: 42,858 | Capacity: 42,486 | ||
| Polokwane | Nelspruit | Bloemfontein | Rustenburg |
| 23°55′29″S 29°28′08″E / 23.924689°S 29.468765°E / -23.924689; 29.468765 (Peter Mokaba Stadium) | 25°27′42″S 30°55′47″E / 25.46172°S 30.929689°E / -25.46172; 30.929689 (Mbombela Stadium) | 29°07′02.25″S 26°12′31.85″E / 29.1172917°S 26.2088472°E / -29.1172917; 26.2088472 (Free State Stadium) | 25°34′43″S 27°09′39″E / 25.5786°S 27.1607°E / -25.5786; 27.1607 (Royal Bafokeng Stadium) |
| Peter Mokaba Stadium | Mbombela Stadium | Free State Stadium | Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
| Capacity: 41,733 | Capacity: 40,929 | Capacity: 40,911 | Capacity: 38,646 |
- ^1 As Durban Stadium
- ^2 As Green Point Stadium
The following stadiums have all been upgraded to meet FIFA specifications:
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Final draw
See also: 2010 FIFA World Cup seeding
The FIFA Organising Committee approved the procedure for the Final Draw on 2 December 2009. The seeding was based on the October 2009 FIFA World Ranking and seven squads joined hosts South Africa as seeded teams for the final draw. No two teams from the same confederation were to be drawn in the same group, except allowing a maximum of two European teams in a group.[42]
- Pot 1 (Seeds: host & top seven):
- South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England.
- Australia, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Honduras, Mexico, United States, New Zealand.
- Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay.
- Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland.
- Pot 2 (Asia, North/Central America and Caribbean & Oceania):
- Pot 3 (Africa & South America):
- Pot 4 (Europe):
The group draw was staged in Cape Town, South Africa, on 4 December 2009 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.[43] The ceremony was presented by South African actress Charlize Theron, assisted by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.[44] The balls were drawn by English football star David Beckham and African sporting figures Haile Gebrselassie, John Smit, Makhaya Ntini, Matthew Booth and Simphiwe Dludlu.[45]
Referees
Main articles: 2010 FIFA World Cup officials and 2010 FIFA World Cup controversies#Refereeing
FIFA’s Referees’ Committee selected 29 referees through its Refereeing Assistance Programme to officiate at the World Cup: four from the AFC, three from the CAF, six from CONMEBOL, four from CONCACAF, two from the OFC and ten from UEFA.[46]
Squads
The Brazilian and North Korean teams before their group stage match
For more details on this topic, see 2010 FIFA World Cup squads.
As with the 2006 tournament, each team’s squad for the 2010 World Cup consisted of 23 players. 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.[47]
Of the 736 players participating in the tournament, over half played their club football in five European domestic leagues; those in England (117 players), Germany (84), Italy (80), Spain (59) and France (46).[48] The English, German and Italian squads were made up of entirely home based players, while only Nigeria had no players from clubs in their own league. In all, players from 52 national leagues entered the tournament. FC Barcelona of Spain was the club contributing the most players to the tournament, with 13 players of their side travelling, 7 with the Spanish team, while another 7 clubs contributed 10 players or more.
Opening ceremony
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony
Group stage
The first round, or group stage, saw the thirty-two teams divided into eight groups of four teams. Each group was a round-robin of six games, where each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same group. Teams were awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The teams finishing first and second in each group qualified for the Round of 16.
In a first for a World Cup, the host team did not advance beyond the initial stage. Defending champions Italy and 2006 runners-up France finished last in their respective groups.[49]
Only six UEFA teams progressed to the last sixteen, a record low in the 32-team era.
Dark blue: Champion Light blue: Runner-up Green: Third place Light green: Fourth place Yellow: Quarter-finals Peach: Round of 16 Red: Group stage
Tie-breaking criteria
Teams were ranked on the following criteria:[50]
1. Greater number of points in all group matches
2. Goal difference in all group matches
3. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
4. Greatest number of points in matches between teams
5. Goal difference in matches between teams
6. Greatest number of goals scored in matches between teams
7. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee
| Key to colours in group tables | |
| Teams that advanced 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
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| 12 June 2010 | |||
| Korea Republic | 2 – 0 | Greece | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Argentina | 1 – 0 | Nigeria | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 17 June 2010 | |||
| Argentina | 4 – 1 | Korea Republic | Soccer City, Johannesburg |
| Greece | 2 – 1 | Nigeria | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| 22 June 2010 | |||
| Nigeria | 2 – 2 | Korea Republic | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban |
| Greece | 0 – 2 | Argentina | Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
Group C
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group C
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 15 June 2010 | |||
| Côte d’Ivoire | 0 – 0 | Portugal | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Brazil | 2 – 1 | Korea DPR | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 20 June 2010 | |||
| Brazil | 3 – 1 | Côte d’Ivoire | Soccer City, Johannesburg |
| 21 June 2010 | |||
| Portugal | 7 – 0 | Korea DPR | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town |
| 25 June 2010 | |||
| Portugal | 0 – 0 | Brazil | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban |
| Korea DPR | 0 – 3 | Côte d’Ivoire | Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit |
Group H
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup Group H
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| 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.[51]
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 26 June – Port Elizabeth | ||||||||||||||
| Uruguay | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 2 July – Johannesburg | ||||||||||||||
| Korea Republic | 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, the largest number of South American teams in the final eight since 1930
- England’s 4–1 loss to Germany marked their worst ever defeat at a World Cup finals[52][53]
- 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:
- A disallowed goal by England in their 4–1 loss against Germany, where the shot by Frank Lampard was seen to cross the goal line when shown on television broadcast replays.
- An allowed goal scored by Argentina in their 3–1 win over Mexico, where Argentine striker Carlos Tévez appeared to be offside when shown on television broadcast replays, which were shown inside the stadium shortly after the incident.
- The only allowed goal scored by Spain in their 1–0 win over Portugal, where Spanish striker David Villa appeared to be offside when shown on post-match television replays (0.22m according to ESPN axis).[54]
FIFA President Sepp Blatter took the unusual step of apologizing 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.”[55] 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.”[55] 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.[55]
| 26 June 2010 16:00 |
Uruguay | 2 – 1 | Korea Republic | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Attendance: 30,597 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) |
| Suárez 8′, 80′ | Report | Lee Chung-Yong 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 62′ (pen.) | Report | Prince 5′ Gyan 93′ |
| 27 June 2010 16:00 |
Germany | 4 – 1 | England | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Attendance: 40,510 Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay) |
| Klose 20′ Podolski 32′ Müller 67′, 70′ |
Report | Upson 37′ |
| 27 June 2010 20:30 |
Argentina | 3 – 1 | Mexico | Soccer City, Johannesburg Attendance: 84,377 Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy) |
| Tévez 26′, 52′ Higuaín 33′ |
Report | Hernández 71′ |
| 28 June 2010 16:00 |
Netherlands | 2 – 1 | Slovakia | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban Attendance: 61,962 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
| Robben 18′ Sneijder 84′ |
Report | Vittek 90+4′ (pen.) |
| 28 June 2010 20:30 |
Brazil | 3 – 0 | Chile | Soccer City, Johannesburg Attendance: 54,096 Referee: Howard Webb (England) |
| Juan 34′ Luís Fabiano 38′ Robinho 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 Komano Honda |
| 29 June 2010 20:30 |
Spain | 1 – 0 | Portugal | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 62,955 Referee: Héctor Baldassi (Argentina) |
| Villa 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 53′, 68′ | Report | Robinho 10′ |
| 2 July 2010 20:30 |
Uruguay | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Ghana | Soccer City, Johannesburg Attendance: 84,017 Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal) |
| Forlán 55′ | Report | Muntari 45+2′ | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| Forlán Victorino Scotti Pereira Abreu |
4 – 2 | Gyan Appiah Mensah Adiyiah |
| 3 July 2010 16:00 |
Argentina | 0 – 4 | Germany | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 64,100 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) |
| Report | Müller 3′ Klose 68′, 89′ Friedrich 74′ |
| 3 July 2010 20:30 |
Paraguay | 0 – 1 | Spain | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Attendance: 55,359 Referee: Carlos Batres (Guatemala) |
| Report | Villa 83′ |
Semi-finals
The Netherlands qualified for the final for the third time with a 3–2 win over Uruguay. Spain reached its first ever final with a 1–0 victory over Germany.
Regardless of the result of the final, this was the first time ever that two different teams from the same continent have won successive World Cups (Italy won the 2006 tournament). It was also the first time that a European team has won a tournament held outside Europe.
The 2010 World Cup also marked:
- the first time European teams have won consecutive World Cups since Italy retained the title in 1938
- the first new winner, and the first new finalist, since France in 1998
- the first new winner without home advantage since Brazil in 1958[56]
- the first final since 1978 (Argentina v. Netherlands) in which neither side has previously won the World Cup
Netherlands and Spain were the only teams to have won all their qualification matches for the 2010 World Cup, with the Netherlands also winning all games on their way to the final.
| 6 July 2010 20:30 |
Uruguay | 2 – 3 | Netherlands | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 62,479 Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) |
| Forlán 41′ M. Pereira 90+2′ |
Report | Van Bronckhorst 18′ Sneijder 70′ Robben 73′ |
| 7 July 2010 20:30 |
Germany | 0 – 1 | Spain | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban Attendance: 60,960 Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) |
| Report | Puyol 73′ |
Third-place play-off
| 10 July 2010 20:30 |
Uruguay | 2 – 3 | Germany | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Attendance: 36,254 Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)[57] |
| Cavani 28′ Forlán 51′ |
Report | Müller 19′ Jansen 56′ Khedira 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, after an extra time goal by Andrés Iniesta.[58] The win gave Spain their first World Cup title.[59]
The match was affected by a large number of fouls, particularly from the Netherlands.[59] 13 yellow cards were given, and John Heitinga of the Netherlands was sent off. 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. Meanwhile, for Spain, Sergio Ramos missed a free header from a corner kick when he was unmarked.[60] Iniesta finally broke the deadlock in extra time, scoring a half-volleyed shot from a pass by Cesc Fabregas.[61]
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.[62]
| 11 July 2010 20:30 |
Netherlands | 0 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Spain | Soccer City, Johannesburg Attendance: 84,490 Referee: Howard Webb (England)[57] |
| Report | Iniesta 116′ |
Statistics
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup statistics
Goalscorers
For the full list of goalscorers, see 2010 FIFA World Cup Goalscorers
South African winger Siphiwe Tshabalala was the first player to score a goal in the competition, in their 1–1 draw against Mexico, the opening game of the tournament. Danish defender Daniel Agger was credited with the first own goal of the tournament, in his side’s 2–0 loss to the Netherlands. Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuaín was the first player to score a hat-trick in the tournament, in Argentina’s 4–1 win over South Korea. It was the 49th World Cup hat-trick in the history of the tournament.
The four top scorers in the tournament had five goals each. The Golden Boot went to Thomas Müller of Germany who had three assists, compared to one for the three others. The Silver boot to David Villa of Spain, who played a total of 635 minutes; the Bronze boot to Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands, who played 652 minutes. Diego Forlán of Uruguay had five goals and one assist in 654 minutes. A further three players scored four goals.[63]
Discipline
Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup disciplinary record
28 players were suspended after being shown two consecutive yellow cards (13 players), a single red card (8 players), or a yellow card followed by a red card (7 players). The fair play award was given to Spain.
Awards
| Golden Boot Winner | Golden Ball Winner | Golden Glove Winner | Best Young Player | FIFA Fair Play Trophy |
| Thomas Müller | Diego Forlán | Iker Casillas | Thomas Müller | Spain |
