The FIFA World Cup, also called the Football World Cup, is the tournament held every four years to determine a world champion from the competing national teams. For this year, it is scheduled to take place in South Africa between 11 June and 11 July. South Africa’s former president Mr. Nelson Mandela will attend the World Cup opener and the World Cup Final, and this is the first time the tournament will be hosted by an African nation.

After a number of qualifying matches, 32 teams have been selected for the FIFA World Cup 2010 and the competing teams are divided into 8 groups as follows:

• Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France
• Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, and Greece
• Group C: England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia
• Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, and Ghana
• Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon
• Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia
• Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d’Ivoire, and Portugal
• Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile

Only seven countries have won the FIFA World Cup so far, six of them at least once while hosting the tournament. Brazil leads in World Cup wins, having taken the cup home five times. The previous World Cup winners are:

• Brazil – 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002
• Germany – 1954, 1974, and 1990
• Italy – 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006
• Argentina – 1978 and 1986
• Uruguay – 1930 and 1950
• England – 1966
• France – 1998

Just seven days to go for football fever to grip the world!!!