The ups and downs of the 2010 World Cup

Qualifying for the World Cup is always cause for celebration, but every one of the 32 participants will have their own level of expectation which will determine their success or failure at the end of their campaign. Making a note of their positions in www.rankfootball.com before and after the tournament is a good indicator of their true level of success.
Movement among the top teams can be minimal but telling.
Newly crowned world champions Spain were already at the top of the rankings but gained sufficient points to build a substantial gap between themselves and the rest of the pack.
The nearly-men of the Netherlands moved up one place into 2nd and should be happy with their showing once the dust of their disappointing but deserved defeat in the final has settled.
Germany performed well and moved up 2 places into 3rd while Brazil who were knocked out in the quarter-finals moved down 2 places into 4th.
Argentina who struggled to qualify for the finals seemed to have come good until they were derailed by Germany, but moved up one position and should be relatively content with their progress.
Portugal were narrowly beaten by Spain, but moved up 3 places having annihilated North Korea 7-0 and held Brazil to a goalless draw to negotiate a difficult group.
Chile reached the round of 16 and may have done better had they not been swept aside by Brazil, but keep their 7th spot.
Uruguay may have finished 4th in the world but only moved 4 places up into 8th as their path towards the semi was not so demanding.
England moved down 5 places after a disappointing World Cup, though for some reason they moved up one place in the FIFA rankings.
Mexico moved down 2 places having failed to win their group and consequently losing to Argentina in the next round.
Paraguay climbed 5 places having won their group and reached the quarter-finals where in a tight game they were beaten 1-0 by Spain.
Serbia were disappointed not to reach the next round despite a win over Germany in their first match and moved down 4 places.
Switzerland narrowly missed out on the next round but moved up 10 places and will be remembered for their shock win over eventual champions Spain.
Italy sank 10 places after losing their crown and finishing bottom of their group.
USA topped their group and were beaten by Ghana in extra time moving them up 4 places in the rankings.
Japan, who had not been doing well leading up to the World Cup, did Asia proud in the tournament going out on penalties against Paraguay after beating Cameroon and Denmark in the group stage and moving up 20 places in the process. Ghana, the brilliant stars of Africa who set the continent alight and were a penalty away from making it into the top 4 moved up 23 places in the rankings. South Korea moved down 3 places having had a mediocre tournament scraping through their group only to be knocked out at the next stage.
Slovenia also moved down 3 places after narrowly missing out on a place in the round of 16.
Ivory Coast did not get past the group stage but moved up 10 places having held their own in a difficult group.
Slovakia moved up 3 places and will remember fondly their 3-2 win over reigning champions Italy though they went out to the Dutch in the next round. France moved down 12 places having finished bottom of their group. Australia started poorly but improved in every match finally going out on goal difference after their win against Serbia and moving up 5 places. Greece dropped 7 places and went home disappointed after losing the match and second place to South Korea.
Honduras can be relatively happy with their point against the Swiss though they finished bottom of their group as expected and did not move in the rankings. Denmark moved down 13 places after being beaten convincingly by Japan in the decisive group match.
Nigeria may have finished last in their group but would have qualified had they not missed a sitter in their last match against South Korea and move up 4 places.
South Africa hosted the tournament and moved up a place having gone out on goal difference with a win over France.
Cameroon lost all 3 matches and 2 positions in the rankings. Algeria held England to a goalless draw and were beaten narrowly in their other matches to move up 12 places.
North Korea seemed to have given everything against Brazil but moved down 8 places after falling apart against Portugal and Ivory Coast.
New Zealand were one of the success stories of the World Cup moving up 23 places after ending the tournament without losing a match having drawn against Slovakia, Paraguay and Italy.

Predicting the 2010 World Cup

It is almost time for the party to begin as South Africa looks forward to hosting the World Cup and the 32 participating nations await their first matches. Predicting the outcome of a World Cup is futile but fun, as there are bound to be unexpected result adding to the excitement of the tournament, but looking at how the teams are ranked in rankfootball.com and their recent forms can help with predictions.

The 32 teams are divided into 8 groups of 4 with the top 2 of each group going through to the next round. The number after each team shows its Ziaian ranking position at the start of the World Cup. The Ziaian rankings will be updated at the end of every World Cup day.

Group A – a well balanced group with the weakest team on paper enjoying home advantage.

South Africa (52) who would not have qualified through the usual channels have grabbed automatic qualification as hosts with both hands and among the participating teams have been the most improved this year, hoping that they will pass the big test and the sound of the vuvuzelas will continue to be heard in force after their group matches.

Mexico (8) have put their shaky start to the qualifying campaign behind them and shown in recent friendly matches against tough European opposition that they have plenty to offer and can be optimistic about progressing to the next round.

Uruguay (12) who needed the play-offs to qualify have only played 2 friendly matches since the turn of the year and despite confident boosting victories will need to be on their toes so as not to be intimidated by the South African crowd, out-played by the brave Mexican or out-shun by the French stars.

France (18) who got the better of the Irish in a controversial play-off match in Paris are in many minds the top team in this group, but the fading French stars have been finding it difficult to gel and based on recent form could find it difficult to get out of this group.

Group B – a group from the past.

Argentina (6) struggled to qualify under the management of Diego Maradona but will be hoping that their world class players will carry them into the next round and beyond.

Nigeria (50) who qualified thanks to Tunisia losing in Mozambique, will need more luck if they are to reach the next round.

South Korea (21), the top Asian team at the moment, have enjoyed good results inconsistently this year and could do well in the World Cup if they can remain focused.

Greece (30) who qualified from a relatively easy group and a single goal in 2 play-off matches against Ukraine could face an early exit if they fail to show the spirit that won them the European title six years ago.

Group C – an easy group.
England (4) have been difficult to beat and are expected to move into the next stage with a realistic possibility of a medal.

USA (25) will be encouraged by their adventures in the Confederations Cup a year ago, but could find the real deal a tougher test.

Slovenia (22) who qualified thanks to the away goals rule in the play-offs against Russia have been on the rise for 3 years and could cause a few raised eyebrows if they continue their good form.

Algeria (81) who scraped through to the finals at the expense of African champions Egypt, have not been convincing this year and could find the experience too overwhelming.

Group D – a group of hopefuls.

Germany (5) are always a force to be reckoned with, but in the absence of their influential captain Ballack could run out of steam early in the tournament. They will need to rely on experience and efficiency.

Australia (39) travel in hope but could find themselves returning home in disappointment if they underestimate their opponents.

Serbia (11) who qualified ahead of France have the quality to reach the next round and cause concern among the top teams.

Ghana (45) once again on the up in Africa have been disappointing in their friendly matches in Europe but will be hoping to show their true pedigree on African soil to avoid an unexpected early elimination.

Group E – the attractive group.

Netherlands (3) with their attractive football will be expected to go far and possibly lift the cup.

Denmark (27) may just have enough to get out of the group which would leave them only one match away from success.

Japan (42) have had disappointing results this year and will need to show much more discipline to get out of the group.

Cameroon (60), a shadow of their former selves, who failed to win any of their 5 friendly matches in Europe this year, could enjoy African support but not the results.

Group F – the weakest group.

Italy (10) have been less than convincing in their friendly matches this year and are unlikely to improve sufficiently on the big stage to retain the cup.

Paraguay (17) may feel they have enough to pass through into the next round, but their joy could be short lived

Slovakia (32) are capable of causing an upset in this group if they can catch their opponents off-guard, but will not be expected to reach the next stage.

New Zealand (106) are the weakest team in the tournament but recent results indicate that with good organisation they can give the bigger boys a run for their money.

Group G – dubbed the group of death.

Brazil (2) are always one of the favourites and should negotiate this group with relative ease but could fail to reach the last four.

Ivory Coast (37) are overrated by many and will find it difficult to reach the knockout stage.

Portugal (9) have enough talent to go far if they find their feet on the night, but are unlikely to progress far beyond the group stage.

North Korea (68) are ranked lower than several Asian teams that did not qualify, but will be hoping to prove that they are worthy of their place in the finals though an early flight back home is the most likely outcome.

Group H – the strongest group.

Spain (1) are many people’s favourites to lift the cup and could reach the final if their jinx of not doing well in major tournaments is well and truly behind them.

Chile (7) qualified with distinction only second to Brazil and should be able to reach the next round.

Switzerland (28) are able to carve out good results but they will need to be at their very best to progress from this group.

Honduras (38) who qualified thanks to an American equaliser against Costa Rica 4 minutes into stoppage time will be happy to show what they can do, but it will probably not be enough to prevent them finishing bottom of their group.