Global Information2010 FIFA World Cup information
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 Ke Nako (Tswana and Sotho) It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity (English) Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensdom (Afrikaans) Isikhathi. Gubha Ubuntu Base-Afrika (Zulu) Lixesha. Ukubhiyozela Ubuntu baseAfrika (Xhosa) Inguva. Kupemberera hupenyu hweAfrica (Shona) Ke nako. Keteka Batho ba Afrika (Southern Sotho) | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | South Africa |
| Dates | 11 June – 11 July |
| Teams | 32 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 10 (in 9 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Spain (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Netherlands |
| Third place |  Germany |
| Fourth place |  Uruguay |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 64 |
| Goals scored | 145 (2.27 per match) |
| Attendance | 3,178,856 (49,670 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Diego Forlán Thomas Müller Wesley Sneijder David Villa (5 goals each)[1] |
| Best player(s) | Diego Forlán[2] |
| Best young player | Thomas Müller[3] |
| Best goalkeeper | Iker Casillas[4] |
| Fair play award | Spain[5] |
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. The bidding process for hosting the tournament finals was open only to African nations. In 2004, the international football federation, FIFA, selected South Africa over Egypt and Morocco to become the first African nation to host the finals.[6]
The matches were played in 10 stadiums in nine host cities around the country,[7] with the opening and final played at the Soccer City stadium in South Africa's largest city, Johannesburg.[8][9] Thirty-two teams were selected for participation[10] via a worldwide qualification tournament that began in August 2007. In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. These 16 teams advanced to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final.
In the final, Spain, the European champions, defeated third-time losing finalists the Netherlands 1–0 after extra time to win their first world title. Spain became the eighth nation to win the tournament and the first European nation to win a World Cup hosted outside its home continent: all previous World Cups held outside Europe had been won by South American nations. They are also the first national team since 1978 to win a World Cup after losing a game in the group stage. As a result of their win, Spain represented the World in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Host nation South Africa were eliminated in the group stage and both 2006 World Cup finalists Italy and France were also eliminated at the group stage. It was the first time that the hosts had been eliminated in the first stage. New Zealand, with their three draws, were the only undefeated team in the tournament, but they were also eliminated in the group stage.
- ^ "Players – Top goals". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ "Adidas Golden Ball". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ "Hyundai Best Young Player". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ "Adidas Golden Glove". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ "Awards". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ "South Africa Is Named Host of 2010 World Cup". The New York Times. 13 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
- ^ "South Africa 2010 Stadiums". Sa-venues.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ Smith, David (11 July 2010). "Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale with a wave and a smile". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ "Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg: World Cup 2010 stadium guide". Daily Telegraph. 19 November 2009. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ FIFA.com (11 July 2010). "South Africa 2010: 32 teams, 32 stories". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2017.