# Canonical recap data for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (2010)
# Source: https://recap.at/2010/fifa-world-cup-2010
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: fifa-world-cup-2010
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2010/fifa-world-cup-2010"
title: 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
aliases:
- 2010 World Cup
- South Africa 2010
- FIFA World Cup 2010
subtitle: The first World Cup held on African soil brought the global tournament to a new continent and showcased South Africa's post-apartheid transformation.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2010-06-11
endDate: 2010-07-11
datePrecision: day
year: 2010
decade: 2010
country:
name: South Africa
slug: south-africa
summaryShort: 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, selecte
summaryLong: 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.
lede: South Africa hosted the first FIFA World Cup ever held on the African continent from June to July 2010, drawing 32 national teams and over 3 million spectators. Spain defeated the Netherlands in the final on July 11, claiming their first World Cup title. The tournament was a major test of South Africa's infrastructure and global standing five years after the end of apartheid.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/4062/4583881337_223eb536fe_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa\" by Phalinn Ooi is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/."
importance: 74
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Final match
  value: Spain defeated Netherlands 1–0 on July 11, 2010
- label: Host nation finish
  value: South Africa eliminated in group stage
- label: Tournament dates
  value: June 11–July 11, 2010
- label: Stadiums built or renovated
  value: 10 venues across South Africa
- label: Total attendance
  value: 3.4 million spectators
- label: Matches played
  value: 64 games
- label: Teams participating
  value: 32 nations
- label: African teams in knockout stage
  value: 4 (Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast)
- label: Official tournament ball
  value: Adidas Jabulani
timeline:
- date: 2004-05-15
  title: FIFA awards 2010 World Cup to South Africa
  description: FIFA selects South Africa as the first African nation to host the World Cup, beating Egypt and Morocco in the bidding process.
- date: 2010-06-11
  title: Tournament opens
  description: South Africa plays Mexico in the opening match at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. The match ends 1–1.
- date: 2010-06-12
  title: France eliminated in shock loss
  description: South Africa beats France 2–1, contributing to the defending champions' early group-stage elimination.
- date: 2010-06-24
  title: South Africa eliminated
  description: South Africa loses 3–2 to Germany, finishing third in Group A and failing to advance from the group stage.
- date: 2010-07-02
  title: Ghana reaches quarterfinals
  description: Ghana becomes the first sub-Saharan African nation to advance beyond the group stage in World Cup history.
- date: 2010-07-11
  title: Spain wins World Cup
  description: Spain defeats Netherlands 1–0 at Soccer City Stadium, with Andrés Iniesta scoring the winning goal in the 116th minute. Spain becomes the first European nation to win the World Cup outside Europe.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup"
  title: 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 2010 World Cup legitimized Africa as a host for global sporting events and injected billions into South Africa's economy, though questions remain about long-term benefit distribution and stadium usage after the tournament ended. It was the first World Cup where African teams demonstrated competitive depth, with four nations reaching the knockout rounds.
categories:
- sports
metaDescription: Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the first World Cup held on the African continent. 32 teams, 64 matches, 3.4 million fans.
wikidataQid: Q176883
