2010 Football World Cup draw released

The 2010 Football World Cup draw has been released. Hosts South African have been placed in the same pool as Mexico while England have been placed in Pool C with the USA.

 

Also in England's Pool are Slovenia and Algeria.

 

The Pools/ Groups are

 

Pool A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

 

Pool B: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece

 

Pool C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

 

Pool D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia

 

Pool E: Holland, Japan, Cameroon, Denmark

 

Pool F: Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia

 

Pool G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

 

Pool H: Spain, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland

 

South Africa's Bafana Bafana will play against Mexico in the opening in Group A of the 2010 World Cup finals which kick-off on June 11 at the new multi billion rand Soccer City stadium after the draw which was made at the International Convention Centre on Friday night.

 

Also in Bafana's group are 1934 World Cup winners Uruguay and France, the 1998 World Champions.

 

The draw was conducted by Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke and South African Hollywood movie star Charlize Theron.

 

A total of 2000 invited guests and 800 local and international journalists attended the glittering event watched by an estimated live television audience of 200 million viewers. Said Benoni born Theron: "I stand here tonight as a very proud South African."

 

She said she was a soccer fan and added: "I have bought my tickets already and would not miss the World Cup for anything."

 

The presenters were assisted on stage by a star-studded line-up of sports celebrities which included England soccer star David Beckham, one of only a few players to score in three consecutive World Cups, Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), two-time Olympic gold medallist and nine-time athletics world champion, Protea fast bowler Makhaya Ntini, the first black player in the South African cricket team, John Smit, the captain of rugby world champions South Africa, and Bafana player Matthew Booth.

 

President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, and Fifa president Sepp Blatter welcomed the audience at the beginning of the 90-minute live show.

 

Guests included Issa Hayatou, chairman of the World Cup organising committee, Nobel peace prize winners FW de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as former football icons Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, Eusebio and Roger Milla.

 

The majority of the 32 coaches of the teams who qualified for the 2010 showpiece were at the draw. Former South African president and Nobel peace prize winner Nelson (Madiba) Mandela, 91, addressed the audience by video message.

 

Madiba, who did much to secure the 2010 World Cup for South Africa, said: "This is the first time that the World Cup will be played in South Africa."

 

"We feel privileged and humbled. We must strive for excellence and reap the rewards of the World Cup. Ke Nako - It is time," said Madiba.