Beginners’ Guide to the World Cup

May 17th, 2010 | by: Daryl |

south-african-fans Regular World Cup Blog readers are soccer-savvy. I know this because they keep correcting me when I get things wrong. So I know they know all about the World Cup. However, the great thing about the World Cup is that it’s not just for the serious football fan. As a global event (maybe THE global event?), the World Cup attracts the attention of those who aren’t usually fans of the beautiful game. Bless their hearts.

So, based on a couple of conversations I’ve had with non-football fans who will be watching, this post is a Beginners’ Guide to the World Cup. It’s a series of questions about the big event. Slightly tongue-in-cheek, but hopefully informative too. Read on for the questions, and the answers.

When is the World Cup? Soon. June 11th to July 11th.

Where is the World Cup? South Africa. It’s the first World Cup to be hosted by an African country.

Is South Africa the Nelson Mandela country? Yes, it is.

Will the World Cup be on TV? Of course it will. Find out what channel is showing the World Cup in your country. US viewers can check out ESPN’s World Cup schedule, UK viewers can watch the World Cup in HD.

How many teams are in the World Cup? There will be 32 teams in the World Cup. Click that link to see who they are.

How many World Cup games per day? Three, to begin with.

Who’s favorite to win the World Cup? Spain and Brazil are the teams with the shortest odds.

Can I bet on it? Yes you can. Go to Bet World Cup Blog for more details.

How does this World Cup work then? The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four. Each group plays round robin with three points for a win, one point for a draw, zero for a loss. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout round. From there it’s single elimination. Check out the World Cup 2010 schedule and our World Cup wall chart for more.

Wait… single elimination? Isn’t football full of draws? Not in the knockout rounds. From the Second Round of the World Cup onwards, the teams play 90 minutes. If the score is level, they play 30 minutes of “extra time”. If scores are still level, it’s penalty kicks to decide the winner. The victor moves forward, the loser goes home.

Will David Beckham be playing in the World Cup ? No. He’s injured.

How about Pele? No. He’s retired.

How about that headbutt guy from last time? Zinedine Zidane? No, he retired from football after the 2006 World Cup.

So… no Beckham, no Pele, no headbutt guy. Which players are worth watching at this World Cup then? Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Xavi Hernandez. Take your pick.

Who should I support at the World Cup? We can’t tell you that. But once you decide, you should buy a World Cup jersey to show that you’re a fan.

Which World Cup games should I watch? Everything from the Second Round onwards has the potential for heart-stopping drama. In the group stage, the games to watch are the opener: South Africa vs Mexico (June 11th), the colonial revenge matches: USA vs England (June 12th), Portugal vs Brazil (June 25th), and anything involving Argentina, because Diego Maradona is the coach and Leo Messi is the star player.

Are there any Colombian singers involved in all of this? What an odd question. But yes, as it happens, Shakira is singing the official song of World Cup 2010.

Are you a World Cup beginner? If so, do you have any questions you want answering? Post them in the comments.

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The_Alchemist

Can I bet on it? Yes you can. Go to Bet World Cup Blog for more details.
Nice question for a beginner. Are you affiliated with a bookie?

Which World Cup games should I watch?
Wrong picks. If you do not watch all games (what you actually should do as a true fan), skip the opener (usually boring and SAF vs. MEX sounds like a mega-boring 1 goal at max affair) and concentrate on the following (one per group):

MEX vs. URU (if you're into red cards), ARG vs. NIG (if you want to see Maradona for maybe the last time), ENG vs. USA (okay, take that for historical not football reasons), GHA vs. GER (if you want to see Boateng taken out by his brother), NED vs. DEN (offensive style football on both sides), ITA vs. PAR (major upset to be expected), all games between BRA, CIV, and POR, SUI vs. HON (probably the most useless game of the tournament next to GRE vs. SKO)

Additional questions:

What is offside?
Who is the most attractive player?
Why is my country not participating?
When and where will the next world cup be (I need to know to be better prepared then)?

a.s.o.
http://twitter.com/John_Gamble John Gamble

That's nice that Shakira's involved.
samba555

we can actually watch it in 3D in the cinemas here in UK.
the premier league is already screening in 3D in pubs.
cfcchris85

Here in the states I know a lot of the games are being broadcast in 3D as well!! it will be interesting to try it out but I think ill stick to the regular old boob tube.
nikoolaa

What is offside? –> I'm afraid Inzaghi isn't called for the World Cup, so don't worry about it.

Who is the most attractive player? –> Domenech. Or his wife. Make a pick.

Why is my country not participating? –> If you're from Canada then it's because they are still not putting ice on the football pitch.
angelo1405

Nice guide, nice humour.
Bense235

And of course: Can we come naked?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Samir-Diawwoletto-Batista/1329402690 Samir Diawwoletto Batista

Ahahah LOVED the Inzaghi thing! Great!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Merv-Wright/611186670 Merv Wright

Did South Africa get admitted to the “finals” by virtue of hosting the World Cup or did it gain access by winning as all the other teams had to?

How clean is the placement of players with their countries? Can one be a citizen of a given country and play for another? Could Beckham play for Italy say?

What language is “bufana bufana” in? Zulu?

Will Mandela or Zuma kick off the first game?

How will they control the fans if S.A. wins the whole thing? I was raised in Southern
Africa and I know the passion folks bring to the soccer table. A win will make the Icelandic volcano seem like a minor puff of air compared to the reaction of soccer fans especially in victory starved South Africa.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1476881593 Alisha Laa

Why did FIFA choose SA ? Beside that they are the first African country to host a World Cup
http://www.facebook.com/people/Carlo-Van-Rensburg/560766433 Carlo Van Rensburg

Because South Africa is the most developed African country. It has had the expierence of hosting other World Cup and sporting events. It has a rich mix of people with a proud history and the beer is super cheap!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Carlo-Van-Rensburg/560766433 Carlo Van Rensburg

Good idea cause then you have nothing (except for your pride) that could be stolen!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Carlo-Van-Rensburg/560766433 Carlo Van Rensburg

I'm pretty sure it would be nothing short of a miracle if South Africa make it past the group stages. But looked what happened in 2002 when Korea reached the semi finals…I smelled an asian eating a rat that day…and if South Africa don't make it past the group stages then it will be the first host nation not to do so!

And I would like to see Mandela kick Zuma for the opening of the first game!
nordquistclan

Where and when can we watch the opening ceremonies?
Tadza

Tadza suggests: FIFA can improve this world game by changing three rules:
1: Allow full substitutions throughout the game…it works in all other sports
2: Widen the goal posts to increase the scoring chances; 1 to nil is boring
3: Eliminate the end of a tie game penalty kicks rule; play until some team scores a goal.
brentonwalters

SA got an automatic spot as the hosts, and good thing, too, because they've been pretty dreadful lately.

The rules for eligibility are pretty loose, but you can't play for more than one team at the senior level even if you change your citizenship. So Beckham could only play for Italy if he had never played for England. There are tons of players that play for adopted countries: Deco for Portugal (he's Brazilian), Eduardo for Croatia (he's also Brazilian), there's a Brazilian who used to play for the Japanese team… come to think of it, most of these guys are Brazilian. Probably because they have no chance of playing for their national team.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/HKLMJZY7VQRE4YOIGRCAIQOBOI Sue P

Say, how do they choose which team is in which group?
http://www.facebook.com/ScubaJess Jess Westwood

How are squad members chosen? Do they play for the country they are citizens of only?
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ORAQHKDDZBSPEX5CB7QHIBB5IA Steve

Why is England's manager Italian? Shouldn't the whole team be from said team's country? In the Olympics, for most sports (I would think all), the coaches are from their respective countries, no?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000647364869 Jonathan Martinez

its a random draw.