South Africa (National Football)

South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena left Wembley on Saturday night beaten but not broken, wearing a t-shirt saying “Thank you Pompey.”  Fans on the south coast of England may consider reciprocating with tops emblazoned with “Thank you Mbazo.” Earlier he sported the Nike effort you can see above.

Having seen his penniless Portsmouth come within a missed penalty of shocking Chelsea’s millionaires, the 29-year-old "Axe" now prepares to engineer an even bigger upset. Helping his baffling Bafana Bafana—80th in the latest FIFA rankings—emerge from Group A against Mexico, Uruguay, and France.

As he contemplates a move to a club which can actually afford to pay their players, Mokoena is already turning his mind to the big kick-off at Soccer City on June 11. After a 1-0 defeat which saw penalties missed at both ends, Mokoena said: “There are a lot of similarities between that FA Cup final and the World Cup for me. People never thought Portsmouth would even get to the final because of all the things happening at the club.

"We all know that a few players will leave because of the club's problems and the fact that a lot of players are on loan. Next season will be totally different and at the moment I don't know what the future holds.

"Most people wrote us off, but we showed the character that we have in our dressing room. The pride will remain. We feel so proud because we gave it our all."

And of course, giving his all is what Mokoena does so well. An early block denied Nicolas Anelka a clear shot on goal, a double block on the half-hour saved the courageous goalkeeper David James, and generally the former Blackburn defender enhanced his market value—though he committed the “foul” which provided the free-kick for Didier "The Diver" Drogba’s only goal.

But the boy from Boipatong takes it all on the chin. Looking ahead to his next monumental task—the odds on South Africa progressing from Group A area about the same as you could get on Pompey winning on Saturday—he said: "I think it's good to be underdogs. I said before the Confederations Cup (last summer) not to write South Africa off and we surprised people then.

"I'm going to say exactly the same thing again. Don't write off Bafana Bafana before we've even kicked a ball. The important thing is that there is nothing impossible in life. Do you want to take the easy way out or do you really want to fight it through?"

Mokoena will arrive in South Africa too late to join Bafana Bafana for today's friendly against Bryan Robson's Thailand in Nelspruit. But his presence in the backline, judging from this FA Cup performances, can only improve South Africa's chances.

For many the biggest question over the entire length of the World Cup is which channel to watch it on. BBC? ITV? Sky? or how about RTE?

Don't know who RTE are?

As a football fan you should be ashamed of yourself. RTE, without a shadow of a doubt provide the best analysis on football anywhere on the planet.

Radio Telifis Eireann, or the Radio and Television of Ireland have for many years now cornered the market in top class punditry. From the English Premier League, to the Champions League, to the European Championships, to the World Cup. There is really only one place to watch football, and that is the mecca of punditry.

With the simplest of formats, one host, Bill O'Herilhy, a man who is expert at playing the fool and letting his panel do what they do best, analyse and most importantly, give honest comments. Eamon Dunphy and John Giles are the pundits of choice and they manage to bring the very best out of their guests who frequently join them in the shiny studio.

One of the biggest turn offs when watching Sky is the lack of criticism. Even when the match is an absolute stinker, Andy Gray usually refers to the match as being low on quality but high on guts and determination. This is the usual kind of drivel we have to put up with as Sky are quite careful not to put their best commodity down, and there are often close links between pundits and the clubs they are covering.

Likewise the BBC.

Take away Football Focus, and the Beeb's analysis of football is somewhere between watching paint dry and reading a phone directory, and that really says something when you realise how superior they are to ITV, who just defy logic with their choice of pundits, their sycophantic questions during interviews, and basic boredom.

However, there is a silver lining to the cloud of World Cup analysis.

Simply put, John Giles, Eamon Dunphy and co. provide the best analysis on football anywhere to such an extent that they are often more entertaining than the match they are covering.

For those of you who don't know who they are, Giles was one of the original Busby Babes before he moved on to Leeds United, becoming the pivot upon which they moved as they dominated English football in the last 60s and early 70s. He then went on to manage West Brom before taking over and professionalising the way the international team was selected in Ireland.

Eamon Dunphy was no where near the same class of player as Giles, who is regarded as being one of the best midfielders in England of all time, but he also started his career under Matt Busby at Manchester United.

He was more an honest journey-man footballer, eking out a living in Division 2 with a good Millwall team before moving onto York City. He was also part of the group of Irish players who led Giles to moving Ireland away from using a selection committee to pick the team, to one where the manager had full power.

Ironically, Dunphy received every one of his caps under the old selection system...

When he left football he trained himself as a journalist and provided insight into anything and everything from politics to economics to clerical child abuse to football.

When RTE first started showing football in the early 80s, they only used O'Herilhy with Dunphy as the sole analyst.

After the 1984 European Championships in which France won, Dunphy realised that he needed someone to balance his outspoken views on the game, he needed someone to be the straight man, but who would also provide good and above all honest analysis.

His ephinany came after France beat Yugoslavia during the tournament, with Dunphy proclaiming that this would be the night that Platini would be found out. That he was no where near the level of player that some people claimed he was.

Platini went out and scored a perfect hat-trick...

A distraught Dunphy called his friend, Giles, on the phone after the game asking "Was I mad to say what I said?" Giles replied "No, I understood what you meant, but you were a fucking eejit for putting it the way you did!"

With that in mind and with the World Cup in Mexico looming, Dunphy approached RTE and fought tooth and nail to have Giles installed as his co analyst. At first Giles did not take the job too seriously but something happened in Irish football in 1986 that only caused a small ripple amongst the football world, but in a way set the path in motion for the best analytical team in football.

Jack Charlton took over as manager of Ireland.

All of a sudden viewing figures for Ireland games were going through the roof, with Giles and Dunphy offering some blistering criticism on Charlton's tactics and running of the team.

Ireland progressed to Euro 88 and Giles and Dunphy were now not only analysing Ireland but the other seven teams in the competition too. This would be the first time they would be tested and compared to their contemporaries across the water.

They did not shirk their duty. Holland were applauded and England were roasted while the old boys club's on BBC and ITV did everything in their power to analyse England positively and criticism was pushed to one side.

Charlton's Ireland also received their fair share of criticism and praise during the tournament and everyone watching knew that you were getting honesty.

You might not agree with their views, but nobody faulted their convictions. Euro 88 gave way to Italia 90 and the boys were on their way.

Some 22 years later and the format is exactly the same with the same three core presenters and pundits. Over the years many others have been added to the mix, the best being Liam Brady who left to take up a post with Giovani Trappatoni and Ireland, and Graeme Souness.

Yes, I mean Graeme Souness.

Souness on Irish television is a very different proposition to Souness on the saccharin sweet couches of Sky Sports. If anything, his time on RTE has influenced him to throw off the shackles of Sky and act like a punditry version of Spartacus as he launches into a critique of something that someone like Jamie Redknapp has just praised.

On his first appearance with Giles and co. his jaw nearly hit the floor when Manchester United were criticised for poor play even though they were leading 2-0 at half-time, on Sky and BBC such negatives would be brushed under the carpet, not so in Ireland.

Jamie Redknapp...

RTE's punditry is now so revered that the originator of Football 365, Danny Kelly, got every match analysed by Giles and Dunphy recorded and shipped over to him in England following their program.

One of the secrets of RTE's success is the good humour, the rapport of the panel is natural, and there is an obvious respect shown for each other. Quite often the panel can cause a stir, like when Dunphy openly called Ireland's display in Italia 90 against Egypt a disgrace to football or when he and Giles disagreed over a statement Dunphy made over the ex-Leeds player breaking someone up in the 70s, the end result was the pair not talking to each other for a couple of years before they were reunited by a radio station for football analysis.

Can you imagine the pundits on Sky, BBC, or ITV arguing over tactics or anything for that matter?

One of a few nice examples is this discussion on Ferguson and Strachan, Manchester U nited v Celtic, 2006:

Dunphy: “They’re both jocks, and as far as I know jocks come in two types – nice and horrid. And both of these men fall into the horrid category, they’re not one bit forgiving.”

O’Herlihy: “That’s a bit racist, Eamonn.”

Dunphy: “It’s not racist, it’s ethnic stereotyping!”

One particular Champions League match in 2009 that upset a lot of Arsenal fans was when Eamon Dunphy questioned Arsene Wenger's record in the transfer market. (The same questions are being asked today...)

Souness took exception to Dunphy's persistent line of questioning and had a bit of a go at the outspoken one.

Souness: “You don’t know what you’re talking about, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Where did you manage?"

Dunphy: "I didn't manage anywhere...but I managed to stay alive for 63 years baby!"

Can you ever imagine such comments or arguments on BBC, Sky, or ITV...

Surprisingly, BBC do have much better analysts that the likes of Hansen, Lineker, and the painful Alan Shearer, but they are all hidden away on radio.

Steve Claridge, Chris Waddle, Danny Mills, Robbie Savage, and Paul Parker have all built excellent reputations for themselves in the world of analysis, with Mills in particular having an great future ahead of him.

The one thing that links all of these, with the exception of Waddle, is that they are all journeymen footballers. None were ever recognised as being top players. It is a stark contrast to the boring trio of Hansen, Lineker, and Shearer, who are all well known greats.

Perhaps the "honest punditry bone" does not exist in great players, with only those legends who sup the Black Stuff excempt from losing their analytical skills.

While on ITV pundits are brought in and brainwashed before hand so that they all end up looking like gormless smiling buffoons. Terry Venables, recognised as one of the great modern coaches often comes out with such rubbish that you actually wonder why he is saying it. Andy Townsend is horrendous, but thatnkfully he doesn't have to drive around in his "Tactics Truck" anymore. Steve Macmanaman is simply unbelievable.

When all is said and done, the football on the pitch will do the talking.

Sky have, without doubt, the best production values available under the sun, BBC have the best commentators, ITV have, ... and RTE have the best analysis.

With the upcoming World Cup having something like 78 games for us to enjoy, I think it is fair to say that on at least one occassion we are going to have to rely the half-time show for entertainment.

So unless you're a Jimmy "different class" Magee fan the best place to listen to the commentary is BBC, but there is only one place to go for analysis.

The 2010 World Cup is an historic occasion for the South African nation. Football was introduced to South Africa during the colonial era and while colonialism, along with apartheid, might have been rightfully consigned to the dustbin of history, football is still very much a part of today's South Africa.

South Africa's selection as a World Cup venue represents a real show of faith by FIFA in the troubled nation. Hosting such a prestigious event however is a responsibility that goes beyond the successful administration and execution of the tournament itself. No host nation has ever failed to progress from the group stages, an extraordinarily statistic given the calibre of some of the countries which have hosted previous World Cups.

Were South Africa to unable to get out of Group A they could spoil this historic occasion by going down in the history books for all the wrong reasons. The task is not an easy one. The other squads in the group, Mexico, Uruguay, and France, all posses players who, on paper at least, are superior to the South Africans. South Africa will need to finish above at least two of these teams if they are to reach the knock out stages of the competition.

South Africa did not qualify for this year's African Cup of Nations and would not have even come close to qualifying for the World Cup had they not been the hosts. To put into perspective how far the 1996 African Cup of Nations winners have fallen take a look at some of the African teams which finished ahead of them in qualifying. Teams like Cape Verde, Angola, Gambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Sudan, and Gabon.

The list of minor African nations which according to FIFA's qualification criteria are better than South Africa is actually considerably longer. While expectations for the host nation might be high, the reality is that progression beyond the group stages would represent a remarkable achievement for this South African side.

Steven Piennar is the team's outstanding player and the Everton midfielder has been on excellent form this season but he is no Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. It would be unrealistic to expect a player who is solid rather than spectacular to single-handedly save South Africa from the ignominy of a first round exit.

South Africa could well be reliant on a strike pairing consisting of two players who have never scored a single goal for their current clubs. Benni McCarthy has yet to hit the back of the net since a January loan move to West Ham Utd while Bernard Parker is so far scoreless for Dutch club FC Twente.

The vast majority of the remainder of the squad play their football in South Africa meaning that, while they may be entirely comfortable in the climate, they do not face world class opposition on a regular basis.

This motley crew of men, many of whom play for clubs such as Mamelodi Sundowns, Golden Arrows, and Supersport United, will together be charged with the considerable task of taking their nation to the latter stages of the 2010 World Cup.

It would definitely detract from the World Cup as a spectacle if the hosts involvement was to end prematurely and hopefully having home advantage will somehow compensate for the lack of world class players in the South African squad.

If circumstances can conspire to propel South Africa beyond the group stages of the World Cup it would be a real footballing fairytale. It is possibilities such as these which give the game its enduring appeal and make this the most eagerly anticipated sporting event in the world.

There are days when this job is all worthwhile.

The last 24 hours are highlighted by my picture today and in my latest video, posted from the 18th floor of the Elangeni Hotel overlooking the crashing Indian Ocean in tropical Durban.

Here, you sweat in winter.

WHISPER it, but the World Cup hosts may not be the pushover everybody's expecting in South Africa this summer. Last night, on neutral soil in Germany, the South Africans beat Jamaica 2-0 at Offenbach's Bieberer Berg Stadion—a much-needed triumph over a side 11 places above them in the latest FIFA rankings.

The Rainbow Nation's favourite whipping boys Bafana Bafana (Zulu for "The Boys, The Boys") went ahead after 52 minutes through a goal by the veteran striker Mohlomolleng Surprise Moriri, 30, and the even more experienced Siyabonga Nomvete, 32, added the second goal five minutes from the end.

Neither can expect to start South Africa's first World Cup clash against Mexico at Soccer City on June 11 if controversial West Ham striker Benni McCarthy, also 32 (above), gets the call from his homeland after weeks of speculation.

But last night's performance—without their overseas stars—was certainly an improvement from the lowest-ranked side ever to host a World Cup. Though they have qualified for two World Cups since resuming their FIFA membership in 1992 and won the African Nations Cup in 1995, the South Africans have declined rapidly in recent years.

Even FIFA president Sepp Blatter was expressing his fears earlier in the week after a drab 0-0 draw against fellow qualifiers North Korea over the weekend. He said, "If South Africa go on to play like they did against North Korea they won't qualify for the knock-out stages. No goals, no going forward."

But their fourth win in 16 attempts, and two goals after a considerable drought, raised hope of qualification from Group A, which also includes formidable France and unsung Uruguay.

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, whose side dropped from 88th to 90th in the FIFA rankings announced this week, purred: "That was much better. I enjoyed the game.

“They never gave us any time to rest throughout the match. I must say that perhaps in the last 12 matches we have played—including Paraguay—this was the most difficult and I appreciate it."

A weakened Jamaica were drafted in at the last moment when China pulled out as friendly opponents for the South Africans, who have been struggling to find worthy opposition on their pre-World Cup tour.

Parreira, who has yet to add overseas stars like Everton's Steven Pienaar, Maccabi Haifa's Tsepo Masilela, Portsmouth's FA Cup finalist Aaron Mokoena, and Fulham's Kagisho Dikgacoi to his squad, added: “My boys were ready for the challenge that was posed by Jamaica and we dealt properly with them, especially in the high balls and dead ball situations in which they are good.

“The game was very tough, but all in all I am happy with the performance of the team. It was much better than the one we put out against North Korea."

The one problem? Midfielder Teko Modise—the popular Orlando Pirates midfielder often linked with a major move to Europe—picked up a wrist injury. As he left the stadium with the limb heavily bandaged, he said, "I think I have a fracture but it still needs to be checked. It is very sore."

Throughout the history of the World Cup, there have been 15 separate hosts of the ultimate football sporting event on the planet.

During every single World Cup, the host nation has been able to achieve great success, whether that means winning the tournament or making it to the knockout round when you were not expected to.

Now in the 19th World Cup final, we could see something happen to the host nation that has never happened before: The host nation could fail to advance onto the knockout stage, which is expected by many to happen to South Africa this year.

There are many reasons why people believe that Bafana Bafana will be unable to advance, as they are in an tenacious group with Mexico, Uruguay, and France.

And these three sides are all inside of the top 20 in the FIFA World Rankings, while South Africa find themselves in 20th place in Africa (or 88th place overall in the world), which is the lowest-ever place for a host nation going into the World Cup.

But despite this, a South African fan might point to the United States in 1994 as a nation that was lacking in good football quality but was able to advance.

But the difference between that USA team and South Africa today is that the United States were at least able to make the 1990 World Cup, where even though they did not garner a point, they at least did get the experience to help them in 1994.

And even in 1994, the USA finished third and were able to advance, which is the final World Cup in which finishing third in your group was respectable enough for a nation to advance from their group.

Sadly, for South Africa this year, they do not have that luxury to fall back on if two other nations fail to advance.

Another disadvantage for South Africa this year is that they were not even able to qualify for the African Cup of Nations.

Currently on South Africa's squad, a large portion of the players all come from South Africa's Premier Soccer League, which is not known to be an exceptionally strong league and could be a liability for South Africa in the World Cup.

But despite that, there are players such as Aaron Mokoena, Kagisho Dikgacoi, and Steven Pienaar who play in the English Premier League, which shows that the talent pool in South Africa does have some players that are recognizable to the average fan.

Along with that, South Africa does have some success in international competitions as of late, with their solid fourth place finish in last June's Confederations Cup.

Of course, there were those final two matches in which they gave Brazil and Spain all that they could handle (even though South Africa failed to win either match).

But this was also not the first time that South Africa has defied the odds in a major tournament that they hosted in their country, as they were able to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 1996 African Cup of Nations when they were both hosted in South Africa.

But regardless of those success stories, South Africa has the group stage to worry about, as now we are just 55 days away from the start of the South Africa-Mexico match at Soccer City to start-off the World Cup.

Despite the fact that South Africa is ranked so low by everyone, I will make a prediction that will please many fans of the Bafana Bafana.

My prediction is that we will be seeing South Africa in the Round of 16 as they will manage to finish second overall in Group A, as they will be able to advance due to strong determination from not only the players, but the fans of Bafana Bafana and their vuvuzelas.

Matthew Booth's story is the perfect pick-me-up in a week when pre-World Cup South Africa is struggling to deal with the murder of Afrikaner extremist Eugene Terreblanche and the rantings of ANC Youth leader Julius Malema.

Booth is not one of football’s biggest names—yet.

But in the Rainbow Nation, the only white man in the squad appears able to walk on turbulent waters.

At 33, the shaven-headed 6'5" defender from Fish Hoek near Cape Town is rapidly becoming the face of Bafana Bafana (that’s Zulu for The Boys, The Boys), a pale face in a game which gave disenfranchised blacks a rare voice until the overnight demolition of Apartheid in 1994.

During the World Cup—with South Africa kicking off against Mexico at Soccer City on June 11—Booth will be adding to the 24 caps earned since his debut in 1999. Named in coach Carlos Alberto Parreira’s 25-man squad for next week’s preparatory camp in Germany last night, he admits: “This has come a little bit late in my career. But if I can play a part in a World Cup on home soil, I will die happy.”

The struggling hosts have just returned from an encouraging tour of Parreira’s homeland Brazil—without Premier League stars Steve Pienaar and Benni McCarthy. Booth said: “The lads played very well. We worked on keeping our shape and were dangerous up front. The coaching staff seems to be more than happy with our progress.”

Married to Sonia, a black model from Soweto, Booth has been highlighted by this month’s Sports Illustrated magazine in the US as “The New Face of a Nation.” He was the local player picked to share the stage with Charlize Theron and David Beckham when the World Cup draw glittered on our television screens in early December. He is continually mobbed in the streets of his homeland, adding: “A lot more white guys are coming up and wishing me luck for the World Cup.”

His face—and that of his wife and two children, Noah and Nathan—dominates the pre-tournament advertising campaigns for mobile phones and sports drinks.

Under Apartheid, white players in South Africa struggled to gain the appreciation of the black crowds at a time when football, boxing, and jazz were perhaps the only level playing fields for the majority of South Africans.

When he plays, it sounds like the Vuvuzela-blowing South Africans are booing their rugged centre-back. The Spanish papers reported as much when covering the Confederations Cup at Ellis Park last year.

They’re not.

As wife Sonia Pule, from Pimville in Soweto, explains: "They thought it was a racist thing. But they’re just shouting his name, Booooooth! I just laughed. But part of me wanted to say, 'They're not booing him. He's my husband, trust me, I know!'

Sonia, 31, a former Miss South Africa finalist, dubs herself "a township girl from Soweto.” Her father, Themba, died when Sonia was a month old, and she was raised in a two-bedroom house with 16 other family members. She used her obvious assets to improve life for a one-parent family of 16 in one of the toughest neighbourhoods in the world, winning a kettle, a toaster, and a TV from beauty pageants. She recalls: "You make it work. That was my life for 18 years."

The contrast couldn’t be more vivid. Booth’s middle-class upbringing in Cape Town started 800 miles south in Fish Hoek, where alcohol is prohibited. He went to an all-white school, as decreed by the government of the day. He grins: “Soccer wasn’t an option, even though it’s always been the most popular sport in the country. I played rugby, cricket, tennis.

“But my dad Paul was involved at Fish Hoek AFC, an amateur soccer club. It was a cultural and racial melting pot. I was part of that from a young age, which I'm very grateful for."

So how did they meet? Booth, who started out playing for local club Cape Town Spurs in 1994, captained the South African Olympic squad at Sydney in 2000, a year after winning his first cap for Bafana Bafana.

By then he had moved to Mamelodi Sundowns, a bigger club near Pretoria. Booth was in the car when one of his teammates went to pick up his daughter. The babysitter was stunning and just beginning her modelling career. After seeing each other as part of the post-game crowd, he finally plucked up the courage to cross the still-vivid colour line (inter-racial sex was outlawed under Apartheid) and asked Sonia out.

She recalls: "I realized he's not your average pompous soccer player. He's actually quite cool."

Sonia’s career soon took off. She was chosen to be part of the Face of Africa campaign and left for New York City in 2000. Matthew went the other way. After suffering a serious knee injury two weeks before the 2002 World Cup, he moved to Russia, where he spent six years with Rostov and Samara.

Sonia stayed in South Africa to study for a business degree but their long-distance relationship survived the air miles and their first son, Nathan Katlego, was born in 2004. They married two years later and Sonia joined Matthew in Samara in 2007 before the birth of their second son, Noah Neo a year later.

Booth was ignored by South Africa’s various coaches throughout his stay in Russia, but he returned to Sundowns last year to force himself back into international recognition for the side ranked 88th in the FIFA rankings—the lowest of any host nation in World Cup history. They were a lofty 16^th back in 1996 after winning the 1995 African Cup of Nations, also on home soil.

No host nation has ever failed to qualify for the knock-out stages, but Booth admits: "Obviously we're the underdogs. But at last year’s Nations Cup we only lost to Brazil and Spain by one goal. If we can play the way we did then, we stand a chance to get out.

“We didn’t even qualify for the Nations Cup in Angola this year. It’s embarrassing. Countries may go through a weak two or three years, but after that you should regenerate. I think we have to get our fingers out and start putting a plan in place to stop the rot.”

Who the hell is Neal Collins? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqck5JuZtuc  or www.nealcollins.co.uk

                                         South African National Football Team

• Confederation: CAF
• Coach: Carlos Alberto Perreira
• Captain: Aaron Mokoena
• Fifa Ranking: 86

• World Cup 2010 Group A
• South Africa; Mexico; Uruguay; France
  

With just under six months ahead of the biggest show piece to be staged on African soil, the host nation look to continue their preparation as they have been group amongst some real competitors in Group A.

With the qualifiers completed, the groups drawn and the stage ready to host the 31 nations from their various confederations, South Africa 2010 is just around the corner.

Lets preview the progress of the National team and the way forward. With former World Cup winning coach, Carlos Alberto Perreira back at the helm, star striker Benni McCarthy also back in the squad could Bafana Bafana at least make it to the quarter-finals.

South Africa's recent form has been a sad tale for many, especially after they've shown a remarkable improvement during the Confederation Cup when they progressed to the semi-finals only to be out done by a 86th minute stunner of a free kick by Brazilian Dani Alves.

Looking ahead to the new year and with the Premier League finishing earlier than usual the squad will be heading for training camps in Brazil followed by another one in Germany as preparation for three tough encounters in the Group Stages.

South Africa have two more confirmed friendlies prior to the main event, a match against South America's Chile then followed by Jamaica. The originally set match against Uruguay was cancelled after the two teams were group together in the World Cup Fina Draw.

Those games mentioned above will be an important marker as to where the team will be in terms of it's preparation and could be a clear indicator for fans and millions of South Africans.

As the weeks go we will look at various aspects of the National Team, the performances of Key Players, the countries preparation and other important facts leading up to the World Cup.

With the World Cup draw finally completed earlier today, all 32 qualified nations now know who they will be facing when the group stages kick off on June 11th 2010.

Below is a brief outline of each of the eight groups, and which teams might be confident of progression:

Use the comments section below to leave your view on how the group stages might play out.

More in-depth analysis of the group stages can be found here.

Read another perspective on the group stage draw here.

Read about the winners and losers of the World Cup draw here.

Group A

South Africa
Mexico
France
Uruguay

Games: 11-22 June

The hosts will be relatively pleased with this draw, which gives them a good chance of progressing to the knockout stages if they can somehow overcome two out of their three other group opponents.

In terms of talent, France are the undisputed class side of the group—but they have struggled to reach such heights under coach Raymond Domenech. With the hugely unpopular Domenech still likely to be in charge for the tournament next—he was sitting proudly at the draw in Cape Town—the other teams in the group will certainly fancy their chances of getting a decent result against them.

Uruguay, the last team to cement their place at the World Cup, are arguably the weakest side in the group, but with Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan to rely on will be confident they can progress.

Mexico may not be as strong as in competitions past, but in the likes of Andres Guardado, Giovani Dos Santos and the evergreen Cuauhtemoc Blanco they have the sort of quality and experience that must make them likely progressors from this evenly-matched group.

Read about Mexico's perspective on the draw here.

Group B

Argentina
Nigeria
South Korea
Greece

Games: 12-22 June

Argentina manager Diego Maradona might have been banned from attending the draw, but even he will have found little about this group to really dislike.

Despite their struggles in qualifying, the former World Cup winner will be confident of seeing his side progress to the business end of the tournament, with all their fellow group teams clearly a notch below Argentina in terms of their international pedigree.

Greece, led by the astute Otto Rehhagel, will be an awkward opponent, and might be the marginal favourites to gain second in the group. South Korea, semi-finalists eight years ago, will feel they have a great opportunity—but without home advantage will surely struggle to repeat the feats of 2002.

African teams have been tipped to do well in the first World Cup on their continent, but Nigeria are not one of their best sides and will surely struggle to live up to the respectable performances of previous performances.

Any team that can call upon a strikeforce of Yakubu and Obafemi Martins needs to be respected, however, and if their suspect defence holds up they could grab second spot in the group that is also fairly open.

Read about Argentina's perspective of the draw here.

Group C

England
USA
Algeria
Slovenia

Games: 12-23 June

Fabio Capello won’t be complaining at this draw, which leaves England as heavy favourites to progress comfortably onto the Second Round.

Arguably the only negative for the Three Lions is that the game against the United States is their first of the tournament. Bob Bradley’s side are marginally the second strongest side of these four, and have the ability to catch out England if they start off slowly.

Success in South Africa during last summer’s Confederations Cup (where they made the final) should make them likely qualifiers from the group regardless of that first result, but Algeria will be another tough proposition.

The Fennecs proved themselves a mentally strong side by overcoming Egypt in a one-off qualification decider, and in the likes of Nadir Belhadj and Karim Ziani have a few players capable of causing any team problems.

Slovenia are undoubtedly the weakest team of the groups, but beat the widely-heralded Russia in the playoffs to make these Finals so cannot be underestimated.

Nevertheless, it would be a major surprise if their tournament lasted any longer than these three group games.

Read about England's view on the draw here.

Read an American assessment of the draw here.

Group D

Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Games: 13-23 June

Arguably this is the Group of Death, with four very good teams involved that all harbour realistic ambitions of reaching at least the quarter-finals.

Germany are the marginal favourites for the top spot, having made the semi-finals in 2006 and qualifying for this tournament in impressive fashion. On paper they are certainly the strongest team, although their perhaps lack the individual star power many have come to expect.

Australia, driven forward by Everton’s Tim Cahill, will fancy their chances of progression, although their lack of a top draw backline could hold them back come crunch time.

Ghana will prove a very difficult team to beat, especially as in Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari they have two world-class centre midfielders. But their attacking options look very limited—Asamoah Gyan excepted—and that could well prove their downfall against opponents that should score plenty of goals.

Serbia have been tipped by many to be the dark horse of the tournament, finally making a splash on the international stage after notable success at youth level in recent times. With the likes of Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Vidic in defence they have some real quality, while the likes of Milos Krasic, Dejan Stankovic have impressed in Europe this season.

With beanpole striker Nikola Zigic up front, they also have a aerial threat that could well propel them through what looks a very draining group stage for all involved.

Read Germany's perspective on the draw here.

Read Australia's perspective on the draw here.

Group E

Netherlands 
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

Games: 14-24 June

The World Cup can still provide some very local ties, as proved by the fact European near-neighbours Netherlands and Denmark square off in the opening game of Group E.

The winner of that tie will gain a crucial advantage in the bid to escape the group, with the loser already facing a very difficult challenge if they want to achieve similar success.

Cameroon are not one of the most heralded African sides, but with Inter Milan hotshot Samuel Eto’o leading the line they will always be capable of scoring a goal.

Japan have long dominated Asian football, but might struggle against three sides that have a lot of experience in international tournaments. Nevertheless, with players of the quality of Shinsuke Nakamura to call upon—not to mention a fervent support—they could well cause a few surprises.

Read a Danish view on the draw here.

Group F

Italy
Slovakia
New Zealand
Paraguay

Games: 14-24 June

The World Cupholders might be experiencing something of an identity crisis when it comes to the current state of Calcio, but this sort of favourable draw might appease the Azzurri faithful for a little while longer.

Marcelo Lippi will be confident of seeing his side through the group stages, with few threats to their superiority as they look to build up some momentum.

Paraguay are a good, if limited outfit, who are regulars on this stage but will nontheless be pleased to make the Second Round.

Slovakia, led by Napoli star Marek Hamsik, might well fancy their chances of progressing on their first appearance at a World Cup. The meeting between those two sides, in fact, could well decide who follows Andrea Pirlo et al into the next round.

For New Zealand, however, even this relatively kind draw will not raise their hopes of progressing any deeper. In just making this tournament they have already succeeded, and even the All Whites' likely fourth place finish in this group will surely not hamper any of their spirits.

Read an Italian perspective on the draw here.

Read about New Zealand's view on the draw here.

Group G

Brazil
Portugal
Ivory Coast
North Korea

Games: 15-25 June

Far and away the most interesting group of the opening draw. With three top-drawer sides and one punch-bag (no disrespect to North Korea), the head-to-head ties between Portugal, Brazil, and Ivory Coast will take on added significance.

That could increase the chances of Brazil suffering a shock early exit, but in reality Dunga’s side have looked so dominate in recent times that it is almost unfathomable that they will slip up.

That makes Portugal’s meeting with Ivory Coast the pivotal match of the group stages, with the winner highly likely to progress as group runners up. Portugal’s breadth of talent—Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Alves, Joao Moutinho—will make them favourites, but in Didier Drogba the Ivorians have a striker that has made every pundit pick them as one to watch.

With Yaya Toure enforcing in midfield and his brother at the back, they could well progress if Carlos Quieroz continues to struggle to get the Portuguese firing on all cylinders.

All in all, this is the sort of group that World Cups are made for.

Group H

Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

Games: 15-25 June

The consensus favourites for the tournament before the draw, bookies and fans alike will see no reason to change that opinion after Vincent Del Bosque’s men found themselves in a very manageable group.

Barring a sizeable mishap—even greater than the one that saw them surprisingly beaten by South Africa in the Confederations Cup—Spain should progress to the knockout stages with a game to spare against eminently beatable opposition.

Switzerland will perhaps consider themselves the likely runners up of the other three, especially as in the likes of Johan Djourou, Tranquillo Barnetta, and Phillipe Senderos they have a good amount of experience on this stage.

Honduras will likely be the fall-guys of the group, with the hard-work of the likes of Premier League impressors Wilson Palacios, Hendry Thomas, and Maynor Figueroa likely to cause teams problems but not halt their progress.

Chile are another team with limited aspirations, although the wily tactics of former Argentina manager Marcelo Bielsa will doubtless make them a tough proposition. If the Swiss slip up, they could certainly be the ones to capitalise.

Read Spain's view on their draw here.

Agree or disagree with the views expressed above? Any other comments, thoughts, or  opinions on the draw? Please leave them below!