The 19th World Cup is just about ready to commence for the 2010 year in South Africa. It begins today and will end exactly one month from now on July 11. The last FIFA World Cup was held in Germany in 2006 where Italy was deemed the World Cup champion.

Today, the World Cup begins in South Africa. South Africa will have their opening game against Mexico starting at 10am ET in Johannesburg followed by the opening game of Uruguay against France in Cape Town at 2:30 pm ET.

South Africa vs. Mexico

South Africa is the underdog for the event that will take place on their home field; however, as the host country, they are going to want to win their first event and will likely gain the momentum to win the match against Mexico, the favorite entering the match. South Africa has two world cup appearances with their last appearance being in 2002 where they made it their second-time best finish in the World Cup by making it to Round 1 just like in 1998. Mexico’s best finish in the World Cup was making it to the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986.

South Africa is full of skill and very quick; however, they seem to be having problems getting the ball in the goal and hitting that net. To win, they are going to have to step it up a notch. Mexico doesn’t exactly have the firepower they need to succeed, but they do have talent in each individual player, which could be a huge advantage to the team.

Uruguay vs. France

France is the likely favorite here wanting to defend themselves against Uruguay; however, they are considered the underdog for the Group A opener. France’s best World Cup finish came in 1998 when they were proclaimed the champions. Uruguay’s best finish in the World Cup is also being proclaimed champions in 1930 as well as 1950.

While Uruguay has power and strong defense, they are very inconsistent on the field. France’s weakness lies within central defense and their advantage lies on having great players – especially on attack.

Who do you think will win these events today? Who do you think will be the overall winner of Group A?

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