The World Cup of Soccer is one of the world's most watched events. Fans from around the world look forward to this exciting sporting event. The next FIFA World Cup of Soccer games will be held in South Africa between 11 June and 11 July 2010. This event is the nineteenth World Cup of Soccer, and the first to be held in Africa. The first World Cup of Soccer was held in Uruguay in 1930. The first time the World Cup was played outside Europe or the Americas was Korea/Japan in 2002.
More than two hundred teams began competing in August 2007 for entry into the finals in South Africa. The number of countries involved in the World Cup is comparable with those competing in the 2008 Olympics. There will be thirty-one teams vying for the Cup in South Africa in 2010. The only team guaranteed play at the finals is the host country team, South Africa. Italy will be defending champions at this tournament. It is expected that more than a billion viewers will watch the games worldwide.
Only seven countries have ever held the Cup since its inception. Brazil has been champion five times, Italy four, Federal Republic of Germany three, Argentina and Uruguay twice each, and England and France once. The world of soccer is split into six geographic areas with each allocated a certain number of places at the finals. The areas are: Africa, with fifty-three teams vying for 5 places; Asia, forty-three teams for 4.5 places; Europe, fifty-three teams for thirteen places; North, Central America and Caribbean, thirty-five teams for 3.5 places; Oceania, ten teams for .5 places; South America, ten teams for 4.5 places.
Sixty-four games will be played at ten stadiums in nine cities across South Africa during the 2010 World Cup. Three million tickets will be available for these games, with the opening and final games scheduled for Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. The stadium has a capacity of 94,500, making it the third largest stadium in Africa. Spectators are never more than 100 meters from the action, and there are no obstructed views. The other venues are Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg, Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane/Pretoria, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, Free State Stadium in Mangaung/Bloemfontein, Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruitt, and Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.
Moses Mabhida Stadium, Green Point Stadium, Mbombela Stadium, and Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, are being built for the 2010 games. The country is also upgrading its public transit systems, and constructing an 80-kilometer commuter train, Gautrain, running between Johannesburg, Pretoria and OR Tambo International Airport. The mascot for the series is a green-haired leopard called Zakumi, which translates loosely as "South Africa Ten." The colors green and yellow are the colors of the South African team.
The World Cup of Soccer is one sports event that is loved and watched by billions of fans throughout the world. The World Cup never ceases to entertain and excite viewers.
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