The 2010 FIFA World Cup is the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international association football tournament. It is
being held in South Africa, beginning on 11 June and
scheduled to conclude on 11 July 2010. The tournament is the culmination
of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204
of the 208 FIFA national
teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the
most competing nations.
This is the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an
African nation, after South Africa was selected over Morocco
and Egypt
in an all-African bidding process. Italy is the defending
champion, having won the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The draw for the finals
took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape
Town, South Africa.