Football: 2010 World Cup on the Ace Black Blog

Welcome to the Ace Black Blog Home Page for the 2010 Football World Cup.

The World Cup coverage on these pages is independent, neutral, and free of any commercials or sponsorship.

For the first time, the tournament is being held in Africa, with South Africa hosting the World Cup between June 11 (opening game) and July 11 (the Final).

After a two-year qualification campaign, 32 national teams have earned the right to compete for the ultimate prize in world sports.

The initial round-robin Group Stage will feature eight groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group advance to the knock-out stages, which consist of Round Two (16 teams); the Quarter Finals (8 teams); the Semi Finals; and the Final.

The winning team will instantly gain eternal legendary status in their home country and in World Cup history. Along the way, there will be a month-long feast of football: heroes and villains will emerge, terrific athleticism and skill will be on display, great goals will be scored, miracle saves will be made, coaches will try to tactically out-smart each other, referees will try to keep the games under control, controversies will erupt, emotions will run high, and the beautiful game will create many memories for future generations to savor.

The Schedule
All the dates and times for all the games are here.

The Groups
The eight Groups for the Round 1 games are presented here, including the schedule of games for each group and an Overview of expectations.

The Teams
The FIFA rankings for each of the 32 teams are presented here. *Coming Soon* Links to in-depth pages for each team. *Coming Soon*

The Venues
Each of the 10 venues where the 64 games are being played is described here, including the schedule of games per venue.

*Coming Soon* 20 Potential Top Scorers *Coming Soon*

10 Great World Cup Memories
Re-live 10 great World Cup memories from past World Cups, with video clips. Brilliant goals, astounding misses, and terrific saves, as well as headbutts and dances!

Brief History of the World Cup
The winners, finalists, and hosts from every tournament; also the top scorers and most team and individual appearances.

Daily Blog: Summary of the Day, Results, Standings, and Top Scorers (Starts on June 12).