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Soccerphile Editorial - December 2009

World Cup Draw

The draw for the 2010 World Cup was made amidst glitz and glamour at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on December 4.

Following an almost interminable pre-draw ceremony, the fate of the 32 national teams taking part in the finals was finally laid bare - and England coach Fabio Capello could hardly have hoped for an easier group.

His team have been drawn against USA, Algeria and Slovenia, with Capello's men managing to avoid the big guns of world football.

A tight-knit American side is likely to provide the sternest test in the group stage, although things get progressively tougher should the English top their group.

If England qualify for the Round of 16 as group winners, they will meet the second-placed finisher from a tough group containing Germany, Australia, Ghana and Serbia.

An encounter with Pim Verbeek's fired-up Australia could prove a potential nightmare for the English - who lost 3-1 at Upton Park when the two nations last met in a friendly in 2003.

Brazil have been drawn in the "group of death" alongside Cote d'Ivoire, Portugal and North Korea, with the latter unlikely to produce their heroics of 1966 - where they reached the knock-out stage on the back of a famous 1-0 win over Italy.

The Italians should have no such problems this time around, with the reigning world champions starting their defence of the Jules Rimet trophy in a relatively easy group containing Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia.

European champions Spain will also be satisfied with the draw, which sees them come up against fellow Spanish-speakers Chile and Honduras and unfancied Alpine nation Switzerland.

Diego Maradona's struggling Argentina will likewise be pleased with their fate, as they come up against South Korea, Nigeria and Greece, in a group that the Argentines are expected to top.

Meanwhile, Bert van Marwijk's powerful Netherlands outfit will take on fellow European qualifiers Denmark, the unpredictable Cameroon and Japan.

The Dutch qualified in impressive fashion, and they will be looking to put behind them a string of failures at World Cup level as they seek to claim a first ever world crown.

Hosts South Africa will kick off the tournament against Mexico, while Uruguay and Thierry Henry's controversial France round out the group.

South Africa's Brazilian-born coach Carlos Alberto Parreira knows that his team have been handed a decent opportunity to progress to the Round of 16, and thereby avoid becoming the first host nation to be knocked out at the group stage.

With such a strong African contingent on show, critics will feel that it's the best chance yet for an African side to do some major damage at a World Cup.

Didier Drogba's star-studded Cote d'Ivoire are arguably the strongest African team on show, but their tough group ensures that ‘The Elephants' will need to be on song to have any chance of progression.

Weather conditions are unlikely to play a major role in the first winter World Cup since 1978, although the likes of Australia, Chile and rank outsiders New Zealand may feel more comfortable in the cool South African climes than those more accustomed to hot European summers.

Security concerns continue to dog the build-up to the finals, with South African officials set to work overtime to ensure a safe World Cup.

But it's on the pitch that most attention will be focused, and with opponents and venues now determined, the task of devising tactics and formulating game plans is set to begin in earnest.

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

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