Soccer World Cup 2010
The eyes of soccer fans from around the world are on South Africa after the 2010 World Cup opened on June 11 with a spectacular ceremony in Johannesburg. It’s the first FIFA World Cup on African soil, the United States is one of 32 teams competing for the FIFA world championship. The US team tied with England and Slovenia and then beat Algeria in the final minutes of the game to advance to the playoff stage. The World Cup final will be played in Johannesburg on July 11.
World Cup fever in Haiti
June 24th, 2010
Haitians are gripped by World Cup fever. As The World’s Amy Bracken reports, Haitians are watching on donated big screens that have been set up in the Port-au-Prince stadium.
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US team triumphs
June 23rd, 2010
Jeb Sharp talks with a US fan who witnessed the last minute win over Algeria in Pretoria which launched the United States into the last 16 of the World Cup as group winner.
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French furious about their team
June 23rd, 2010
A day after France’s final loss in the World Cup, people in France are saying the their nation’s team represents everything that’s wrong with France today. Anita Elash has the story from Paris.
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French Fiasco
June 21st, 2010
French President Sarkozy and many in his country are not proud of their national team’s performance at the World Cup in South Africa – or their behavior. The problems began when the coach reportedly criticized the team’s star forward. Nicolas Anelka responded with a foul-mouthed outburst after which the coach sacked him. Marco Werman talks with Xavier Rivoire, editor of the weekly magazine “France Football” (flickr image: w0LD)
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Slovenia or Slovakia?
June 17th, 2010
The United States plays its second game of the soccer World Cup on Friday – against Slovenia. Or is it Slovakia? No, it’s definitely Slovenia but some people are having trouble telling the difference. The World’s Alex Gallafent will try to sort it out for us. (flickr image: Jaime Silva)
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World Cup music with Nneka
June 16th, 2010
Nigerian singer Nneka, has been called the Afro-German princess writes political songs and also one about the World Cup.
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North Korea fan from England
June 16th, 2010
North Korea made a fine showing at the World Cup, although it’s the lowest-ranked team in the tournament. It lost to Brazil, but only 2-1, managing to keep the powerful Brazilians on their toes for 90 minutes. Bryan Clark from England was on hand for the game in Johannesburg and he was rooting for North Korea all the way.
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World Cup venues
June 16th, 2010
So North Korea fan Bryan Clark traveled to South Africa to watch the World Cup. He’s in Johannesburg which is home to two soccer stadiums. In the Geo Quiz we want you to name all of the cities hosting World Cup games.
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Japanese fans rooting for North Korea
June 14th, 2010
North Korea will begin its World Cup campaign against soccer superpower Brazil. Some of the Stalinist state’s most ardent fans have gone to South Africa to root for their team. But they’re not from North Korea – they’re from Japan. Akiko Fujito tells us what’s going on.
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Sounding the vuvuzela
June 14th, 2010
Even though South Africa is experiencing winter, World Cup fever is officially spiking well over 98 degrees Fahrenheit. You can feel it, and you can hear it. If you can’t hear World Cup fever, you’re probably deaf. The love hate relationship with the vuvuzela on today’s show. (Photo: flickr.com/
south-african-tourism)
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- Vuvuzela Orchestra
- World Cup 2010: Organisers will not ban vuvuzelas
- Embrace vuvuzela say organisers
On the web
- BBC coverage of the World Cup
- World Cup results
- FIFA homepage
- KCRW: Music of the World Cup
- US soccer
World Cup fever in Liberia
June 11th, 2010
Liberia is not one of the six African nations competing in South Africa, but soccer fever is very palpable there, too, as Jason Margolis found out.
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American fan in Africa
June 11th, 2010
Some Americans traveled all the way to South Africa to cheer for the US team and feel the excitement. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Chris Spacone who’s in Africa to root for the US.
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The new World Cup ball
June 10th, 2010
Adidas’ new ball for the World Cup is named after the isiZulu word for “celebrate” but goaltenders aren’t celebrating. They think that the soccer ball’s flight will be erratic, leading to more goals. Alex Gallafent checked it out.
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On the web
- ESPN coverage of the World Cup
- FIFA twitter feed
- The story of the 2006 World Cup
- US soccer
- The World Cup on twitter
Belgian turf in South Africa
June 10th, 2010
One country that didn’t qualify for this year’s World Cup is Belgium. The national team, known as the Red Devils, won’t be competing in South Africa. But just because the Belgians aren’t on the field doesn’t mean they aren’t in the field. Our technology correspondent Clark Boyd sent in this report. (Photo courtesy of Desso)
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World Cup excitement
June 10th, 2010
Marco Werman speaks with journalist Stephen Grootes in Johannesburg about the atmosphere there one day before of the beginning of the soccer World Cup.
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The language of soccer
June 9th, 2010
The US men’s soccer team will start its World Cup campaign on Saturday against England. It’s the first time the two teams will have met at a World Cup tournament since 1950. On that occasion, the US beat England 1-0 in a major upset. Now, as The World’s Alex Gallafent reports, the English are forced once again to confront the complexities of a special sporting relationship. (photo of Red Bulls fans: Alex Gallafent)
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World Cup history
June 9th, 2010
In How We Got Here Jeb Sharp talks with Duke history professor Laurent Dubois, the author of Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France.
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Confusing street signs
June 8th, 2010
Soccer fans for the World Cup might have a hard time finding their way to stadiums in South Africa’s nine host cities. There could be problems because many streets have been getting new names, as apartheid era symbols are replaced. Kyle G. Brown reports.
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World Cup teams hit by injuries
June 4th, 2010
Only days before the soccer World Cup starts in South Africa, one of the stars of the sport, Didier Drogba, has injured his arm and is expected to miss the tournament. Drogba, the captain of Ivory Coast, broke his arm in an exhibition match against Japan. Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed that the captain of the English team, Rio Ferdinand, will definitely miss the World Cup, after hurting his knee in training. William Troop has more:
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Soccer loyalty in Argentina
June 4th, 2010
Argentina is one of the favorites at the World Cup. During the tournament, the team can count on unanimous support back home. Until then, most Argentines remain fiercely loyal to their local club teams. Choosing which one to support is serious business — as reporter Julia Kumari Drapkin found out after moving to Buenos Aires.
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World Cup Security
May 28th, 2010
On a day when the State Department issued a travel warning about visiting South Africa during next month’s soccer World Cup, Marco Werman speaks with Johan Burger at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa about what his country is doing to combat both potential external terrorist threats and the internal problem of crime. (photo: Laura Lynch)
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Paradinha
May 20th, 2010
The Geo Quiz looks at how soccer’s powers-that-be have been busy planning and changing the rules. In May, they banned a move called the paradinha. (Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/alexfrance)
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South Africa’s soccer burden
April 23rd, 2010
The World Cup soccer tournament opens in South Africa in seven weeks and South Africans are psyched. 360,000 foreign spectators are expected to bring their enthusiasm – and money – to South Africa. But some South Africans view the World Cup as a burden that has made their lives worse. (Photo: Laura Lynch)
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Talking Travel podcast
March 9th, 2010
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Sports fans the world over are turning their attention to South Africa and this summer’s soccer blow-out, the 2010 World Cup. In this episode of Talking Travel, Lonely Planet’s Robert Reid and Tom Hall assess South Africa’s readiness to host soccer’s premiere event, and about the unique prism that sports provide for tourism in general.
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