In theory, any of the teams could win the 2010 World Cup this year, however, some are more favoured than others.

Here’s what you need to know

1. The host nation, South Africa, are very proud to be holding the World Cup this year, it will bring the attention of the whole world to the country and the continent. South Africa are unlikely to win, but with the Premier League experience of Benni McCarthy and Aaron Mokoena, will hope to do well. It will also encourage more people to start playing football, or taking it more seriously in the African nations.

2. The other main African Teams such as Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, all have players with Premier League, and European experience. From Chelsea’s Ghana international, Michael Essien, and Ivory Coast’s Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Eboué and Didier Drogba at Chelsea, there is a wealth of experience. Nigeria boast Everton’s Yobo Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel, and Portsmouth’s Kanu, Cameroon have also done well in the competition previously.

3. Australia are improving rapidly, and able to hold their own against other bigger teams. With many players with Premier League Experience, such as Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neil, Brett Emerton, Vince Grella, Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell, Australia might go far this time.

4. New Zealand were a surprise qualifier for the 2010 World Cup. Players such as Ryan Nelson and Chris Kellen play in English football, whilst others, such as Andrew Boyens and Jeremy Christie play in America, so there is a chance that the Kiwis might do well.

5. The USA are another improving side, and it looks like “soccer” is becoming more and more popular in America, possibly due to the influence of David Beckham. Players including Tim Howard, Jonathan Spector, top scorer Landon Donavan, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, have all got Premier League experience, and could help the USA to get past the group stages.

6. Portugal are another outside bet. Although boasting megastar Christiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, and the excitingl Nani of Manchester United, as well as Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario, they often don’t perform as well as they should. However, on their day they are a match for any county. If they have even a tenth of the self belief and conviction of compatriot Jose Mourinho, they’ll do well this time.

7. South American teams other than Brazil and Argentina, are unlikely to get to the quarter finals, however Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile can be formidable opponents, and may adapt better to the conditions in South Africa than European teams, so could cause a surprise.

8. The Netherlands, Greece, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Denmark, are all capable of beating the big teams on their day. However, they can’t be relied on to beat the so-called lesser teams, and so might not get as far as they’d hoped.

9. A rank outsider, like North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Honduras, Algeria, Switzerland could get a lot further than expected. As the standard of football is improving all the time, and players from all other the world are playing in the major European leagues, it won’t be long before one of these teams causes an upset.

10. However, realistically, the winner of the 2010 World Cup, will probably be one of Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain, England or France. Thanks to their players and managers, they should have the ability to reach the finals.

Now you know more about the teams, the only problem is, which two countries will get to the final, and who will win!

About the Author:
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