The 2010 World Cup in South Africa

Widely regarded as the world's premier sporting event, the World Cup comes around but every four years.  This year it kicks off in South Africa in June 2010 with an impressive field of teams vying for the ultimate prize.

The nail biting conclusion to the 2006 world cup saw Italy beat France in a penalty shootout and was watched by a record breaking 26 Billion worldwide viewers.  Germany finished third.

The format of the World cup is group based, there are eight initial groups of 4 teams each.  The top two teams from each group progress to the sudden death elimination phase of the tournament after the round robin.  The initial groups are setup and seeded from the results of the cup qualification process.  The first match of the 2010 world cup is the highly anticipated Group C game between the US and a Beckhamless England.

Notable players to watch out for during the tournament include the prolific Spanish goal scorer, Torres,  the flamboyant Brazilian Ronaldinho and England's emotional Wayne Rooney.  Unfortunately the tournament will be without David Beckham who recently suffered an Achilles injury during league play.