-
The official matchball for the 2010 World Cup - Source: Reuters -
Related
07:26 MB Personally speaking, it is quite
baffling how England have again ended up in the weakest group by
far while someone like Ivory Coast - who had Serbia,
Argentina and the Netherlands last time are in another
group of death with Portugal, Brazil and North Korea.
07:24 MB Slovakia round out the group which is not a bad
result. It will be the opening game and one where Herbert will
target a point.
07:20 MB THE ALL WHITES have drawn Paraquay as their second
opponent. They do traditionally under perform at World Cups but
qualified second in the South American group so will be very, very
tough.
07:15 MB
England, for at least the third World Cup in a
row will play in an easy group as they have drawn Algeria!
07:13: MB The All Whites have drawn Italy! Defending
champions and 4-time winners so it is pretty tough. Only
consolation is that they are often slow starters!
07:12 MB
So England will face USA and could possibly be
in the group of death after having an easy group for the last few
World cups
07:10 MB So the All Whites cannot face South
Africa or England or Argentina!
07:00 MB We have just heard a detailed explanation
of how the draw will play out and now we meet five South
African sporting stars (and David Beckham) who will assist in the
draw.
06:56: MB - Can you believe that the main host
Jerome has a very very 'eavy French accent. It may be sexy in a
nightclub pal but please on international worldwide tv!
06:50: MB- FIFA's sanitised look back at the
history of the World Cup - through the eyes of a South African
father (who resembled Sydney Poiter) and his son - comes to an end.
It highlighted the performance of African teams in the World Cup,
looked at the winners too even Diego Maradona was mentioned (though
through clenched teeth).
06:40: Charlize Theron is seen for the first time
and she is looking sensational. She tells the crowd - "I've bought
my tickets and I hope you all have too". Really Charlize? Really?
She had to buy her own tickets?
06:39: The crowd is introduced to a true African
football legend - Cameroon's Roger Milla. As a 38-year old he
scored goals at the 1990 World Cup and then four years later
managed to net again in USA 1994. Milla has not aged a day!
06:29: There is more dancing in South Africa so we
thought we'd take the time to tell you about the brand new World
Cup ball which was unveiled on Saturday.
Makers have billed it as the first "perfectly round ball and the most accurate yet."
"For me, contact with the ball is all important, and that's just great with this ball," Brazil's Kaka said.
The ball has 11 colours, representing the 11 players in a team and the number of languages spoken in South Africa, the first African country to host the world's most-watched single-sport tournament.
"It's the tool of our trade and we want the best," David Beckham said. "Any good football player would be able to control any ball, but it's good to have a little bit of help."
06:28: "The global view of Africa will be changed by the World Cup next year, whether or not an African team wins." Ruud Gullit
06:20: So a pot refresher:
Pot 1: (seeds): South Africa (group A), Argentina, Brazil,
England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain
Pot 2: Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Honduras,
Mexico, USA,
New Zealand
Pot 3: Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Chile,
Paraguay, Uruguay
Pot 4: Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Switzerland
06:16: Sepp Blatter just forgot where the World Cup was actually kicking off. Shame. It's Johannesburg. In June.
06:12: The FIFA World Cup, which has been in the hands of Italy since they defeated France in that nail-biting penalty shoot-out in 2006, has just been brought onto the stage - just who will get their grubby little hands on that!
06:06: Former South Africa president Nelson Mandela has just addressed the audience via video link - chating how proud he is for the country to host the tournament for the very first time.
06:03: So guys, a bit of music and colourful dancing marks the opening of the ceremony in Cape Town - nerves all over the world are gone now! Who do we really want the All Whites to face!?
05:57: Welcome to tvnz.co.nz's World Cup draw LIVE updates - we are just moments away from the 2010 World Cup draw kick off!
You can leave your thoughts and comments throughout the draw email comment@tvnz.co.nz
Add a Comment:
Post new commentkiwi kylie said on 2009-12-10 @ 21:56 NZDT: Report abusive post
i am a kiwi living in germany, and have been plesantly surprised about the respect people have about the all whites, and the comments about the great draw we have as it may give us a chance to gain some points! good luck boys!!!
statto said on 2009-12-05 @ 14:46 NZDT: Report abusive post
While Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast have it tough, I think Germany's Group D will be the tightest, as all 4 nations will harbour realistic aspirations of progressing.
radar832004 said on 2009-12-05 @ 09:32 NZDT: Report abusive post
The underdog Australians nearly upset italy in the last world cup they needed a dodgy penalty to get through the knockout stages there is a good chance for points
gmuir said on 2009-12-05 @ 08:32 NZDT: Report abusive post
i think it's got to be one of the best draws we could have hoped for; Paraguay and Slovakia are both really good but we could get an upset against either of them on a good day. And playing against Italy will be a career highlight for all the players. Go the All Whites!
bobandperry said on 2009-12-05 @ 08:10 NZDT: Report abusive post
The draw was great to watch. What was annoying was the British commentary over the top of the draw itself, especially as Jerome Valcke seemed very knowledgable and personable and someone worth listening to. Annoying!