By BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writer
Everything we need to know about the World Cup. Well, almost.
Q: What is the World Cup?
A: A 32-team tellurian contest run by FIFA, the international association for soccer, it is the many renouned sporting eventuality in the world. Americans can prognosticate the Super Bowl, Final Four as great as Olympics combined. That’s what the World Cup is like for only about every alternative nation upon the planet.
Q: When is it?
A: The contest begins Jun eleven with horde South Africa personification Mexico in Johannesburg. The last is Jul 11, also in Johannesburg. All games will be televised in the United States by the ABC-ESPN networks as great as Univision’s channels.
Q: What is the format?
A: There have been 8 groups of four teams. Those teams fool around the round-robin in the initial round, as great as matches can end in draws. The tip dual teams in any group allege to the last 16. Every game after the initial turn is the impressive person compare as great as will go to the 30-minute overtime if tied. If still scored equally after OT, the penalty kick shootout is held.
Q: So, World Cup is starting to be played in South Africa?
A: That’s right. This is the initial time an African nation has hosted either the World Cup or the Olympics, the world’s dual tip sporting events. Games will be played in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Polokwane, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Durban as great as Nelspruit.
Q: Besides the novelty, what makes this eventuality so vicious to South Africa?
A: The government as great as private entrepreneurs have spent heavily to renovate airports as great as set up roads, hotels, stadiums as great as bus as great as rail systems for the monthlong tournament. In the sho! rt-term, the World Cup is the money-losing proposition, though South Africans have been anticipating for the boon in the destiny upon the $6 billion investment.
“We wish the post-2010 South Africa to be means to contest in the tellurian economy,” said Danny Jordaan, the conduct of the organizing committee.
SA Tourism, the state-owned tourism development company, expects the series of tourists to tip 10 million this year, with much of the increase due to the World Cup. The challenge will be to set up upon that in 2011 - when there won’t be the World Cup - as great as keep building to strech the idea of 14 million by 2014.
Q: What can fans expect?
A: Cool to cold weather - it will be winter time in South Africa for many of the tournament, as great as many games will be played during altitude. Also upon display:
- Lots of national pride, from locals supporting Bafana Bafana, as the horde group is called, to roving fans from, well, all 31 alternative countries.
- Extremely tight security, with several nations that have staged World Cups as great as Olympics advising the South Africans.
- Stadiums trimming from the massive (the 94,700-seat Soccer City, that cost $300 million), to the fantastic (70,000-capacity Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, with the beaches as great as waterfront restaurants only the short travel divided as great as the enormous Table Mountain in the background).
- A buzz in the air from the constant drone of vuvuzelas, the trumpet-like instrument adored by internal fans.
Q: Which teams have been favored?
A: Spain, that won the European Championship dual years ago, is ranked No. 1 in the universe as great as has one of the planet’s deepest rosters. No alternative country is as balanced from goalkeeper to invulnerability to midfield to attackers, though Spain rarely fares great in the World Cup as great as has never won it.
Brazil owns the jot down five titles as great as tends to perform great in brand new si! tes for the tournament. The samba kings won when the eventuality was hold in North America for the initial time (Mexico 1970) as great as in Middle East for the only time (Japan/South Korea in 2002). Brazil also won in the United States in 1994.
The Netherlands, Portugal, Argentina, Germany as great as fortifying champion Italy could be front-runners, as great as England might be, too, if it can get healthy. Argentina is coached by its biggest player, Diego Maradona, who has yet to prove he’s scarcely that fit upon the sideline.
Q: How should the United States do?
A: The Americans reached the quarterfinals in 2002 prior to losing to Germany. But in 1998 as great as 2006, the miss of chemistry led to infighting that broken their chances. This group has dual stars (Landon Donovan, Tim Howard), several proven contributors, as great as an ability to convene opposite stronger sides. But there have been big holes defensively that contingency be filled prior to the U.S. group opens opposite England.
The alternative Group C teams have been Algeria as great as Slovenia, so U.S. chances for creation the second turn seem good.
Q: Who have been the players to watch?
A: Donovan had the clever 2002 World Cup as great as could be the headliner in South Africa. Howard is among the many appropriate goalkeepers, though that’s hardly an curiosity deliberation how clever U.S. keepers historically have been.
But the World Cup’s many appealing performers figure to be Argentina’s Lionel Messi, FIFA’s Player of the Year for 2009, who has been even more sensational for Barcelona this year; Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo; Brazil’s Kaka; Spain’s Fernando Torres, Iker Casillas, Andres Iniesta as great as Xavi; England’s Wayne Rooney; Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba; as great as Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o.
There’s also Thierry Henry’s left hand, that carried France into the contest (he got divided with the vicious palm ! round op posite Ireland in the qualifying match).
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Associated Press Writer Donna Bryson in Johannesburg contributed to this story.
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