In a personal letter to New Zealand football association president Frank van Hattum, OC President Steffi Jones congratulated the New Zealand footballing family’s on the nation’s third successful qualifying campaign for the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.

“Ever since I had the privilege of attending the U-17 Women’s World Cup 2008, I’ve been a great fan of football in New Zealand. Alongside rugby, where the All Blacks enjoy global renown, football and especially the women’s game are among the most popular sports in the country. The New Zealand women’s team are passionate and skilled, and will certainly enrich the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011,” commented Jones.

Nine nations are definitely through to the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be staged in Germany: Australia, England, France, Japan, Korea DPR, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and hosts Germany.

The remaining seven places at the finals will be allocated as follows:

Africa (CAF): Two teams
Qualification: African Women’s Championship from 29 October to 14 November 2010 in South Africa.

South America (CONMEBOL): Two teams
Qualification: South America Women’s Championship from 28 October to 14 November 2010 in Ecuador.

North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF): Two teams
Qualification: CONCACAF qualifying tournament from 28 October to 8 November 2010 in Mexico.

The final place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be determined in a play-off between the team finishing third in CONCACAF qualifying, and the team finishing fifth in UEFA qualifying (Italy or Switzerland). The tie will be played on 20 and 27 November 2010.

The Final Draw takes place on 29 November 2010 in Frankfurt.

The South African Football Association is involved in a dispute with a local businessman who acquired the rights to the name in 1994. SAFA made a reported $10 million profit from the name during the World Cup.

“I want to avoid saying we are very angry about it,” South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani said Thursday. “We are worried about it. We are concerned.”

He said the future of the nickname was being discussed “at a national level.”

Nematandani suggested the Bafana Bafana name, which SAFA uses on much of its official literature and is the popular term in South Africa for the national team, would have to be changed despite being “a national asset.”

SAFA began an extended legal battle in 1997 to claim rights over Bafana Bafana, but South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed in 2002 a SAFA motion that it had rights over Bafana Bafana.

There is no indication the current owners of the brand will sue SAFA for using the term, but the country’s soccer association is unable to market it and make money from it.

The issue has also reached South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the influential parliamentary committee on sport said Bafana should be changed if the copyright issue wasn’t resolved, forcing SAFA to address the problem.

“We brought it up because we felt that it was not doing us any good as an association,” Nematandani said at SAFA’s headquarters next door to the Soccer City stadium _ the venue for the World Cup final.

Speaking at a press conference to outline new South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane’s vision for the future of the national team, Nematandani said the public could be asked to choose a new nickname.

“It clearly has to be done the right way, but we cannot go on in this way. It is not proper, it is not correct,” the SAFA president said. “The name of Bafana Bafana came from the public and we are throwing the ball back to the public.”

Bafana Bafana means “the boys, the boys” in Zulu.

It is thought to have been used in the early 1990s by journalists in Soweto to refer to the national team after it was readmitted into international soccer after apartheid.

It was quickly picked up and is the affectionate name by which South African fans refer to their team.

In an Internet poll, it was voted one of the words of the recent World Cup _ along with vuvuzela.

In addition to the many millions of fans watching the matches on TV, over 220,000 people followed FIFA’s official tweets on Twitter, while members of the five million-strong FIFA.com Club swapped 120 million virtual stickers and made over one million comments on the website as they debated the finer points of the tournament.

With its wide variety of content and interactivity, over the course of the tournament’s 31 days FIFA.com attracted over 250 million visits – approximately 150 million unique users, triggering seven billion page views: 410 million of those page views were recorded in a single day. When England and the USA played simultaneously, FIFA.com technicians reported a throughput of 1,000,000 hits per second at the height of the activity.

The level of demand for FIFA’s online content has surpassed FIFA’s expectations. FIFA.com welcomed three times more unique users than in 2006, serving pages to 150 million people over the course of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. FIFA exceeded forecasts for page impressions by 1.5 billion. The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ has witnessed a new level of digital engagement from fans across the globe

Spain is FIFA World Cup 2010 Winner

What started out a month ago on June 11th with 32 nations and a total of 64 games, culminated on July 11 with one Nation, the Spaniards, standing tall holding the World’s most coveted 18-carat gold Nike Victory, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Trophy.   And as the winner, they were awarded a $30 million purse, while the Dutch as second place got $24 million.

The final match between the Netherlands and Spain lasted 120 minutes of tough challenges that ended with a one goal scored in the 116th minutes by Spain’s #6, midfielder Andres Iniesta.

The Dutch team failed to make a come-back within the last 14 minutes of extra time and had to settle for 2nd place silver medalist. The Dutch got a few good looks at Spain goal but could not close out their opportunities.

The game ended with 14 yellow cards being issued, 8 goes to the Dutch and 5 to the Spaniards. The Dutch #3 defender John Heitinga was ejected after receiving a red card, leaving his team with 10 men to play the rest of the game. The only goal by Spain came after he left the pitch.

The Germans, who had a very impressive performance, had to settle for 3rd spot after beating Uruguay, 3:2. The German top player, Thomas Mueller, had to sit out the semi-finals with Spain after receiving a red card during the quarter-finals match against Argentina. The 20 years old German striker Mueller was awarded the Best Young Player and Golden Boot at the end of the FIFA 2010 competition.

Before the grand finale match between Spaniards and the Dutch, former South African President Mr. Nelson “Madiba” Mandela accompanied by his wife, Graca Michel, made a grand entrance on the soccer field in a golf cart buggy. They received a standing ovation from the loud colorful diverse cheering soccer fans with the newly accustom raucous sound of Vuvuzelas filled the stadium air.

Present at the finale were an A-List of international stars, presidents, sports people, actors and other renowned personalities including international model British-Jamaican Naomi Campbell, Archbishop Tutu, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former World Player of the Year George Weah, Roger Milla, Marcel and Lucas Radebe , just to name a few.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela also known as Madiba became the first black president of once a divided nation which was previously governed by an apartheid regime Government.  During his reign from May 10, 1994 to June 14, 1999, Mr. Mandela had secured a spot for South Africa to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first time in FIFA history, the competition was held on the African soil.

The next FIFA World Cup will be held in Brazil scheduled for 2014.

This year will be a lot of first for the FIFA World Cup: It’s the first time the competition is being played on African soil; And the first time both teams will compete against each other for the World coveted Cup

The Netherlands got the better of the favorite Brazil, the five-time world cup champions, who came into the match as the number one ranked team, according to FIFA.

Brazil was 35-0-2 when leading at half-time.  Those stats are out the window for Brazil.

Robinho gave Brazil the lead in the 10^th minute, but the Netherlands equalized in the 53rd with an own goal from Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo.

Having won all five of their matches so far, the Netherlands extended its team-record unbeaten streak to 24 games, stretching back to a September 2008 loss to Australia.

The Netherlands reached the semifinals for the first time since losing to Brazil on penalties at the 1998 World Cup in France and will next face Uruguay in the Semi-Finals.

Brazil also lost in the quarterfinals four years ago, falling to France 1-0. Former Brazil captain Dunga was hired to coach the team after that loss despite no previous managerial experience and his future is certain to come into question now.

“We didn’t expect this,” Dunga said. “We know that any World Cup match is about 90 minutes. In the first half we were able to play better and we weren’t able to maintain that rhythm in the second half.”

The reception will not be good for Brazil when they go back home.  They were expected to get further in the competition and lift the golden trophy.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Uruguay spoiled the party for Ghana.  The match ended with the pain of penalty shootout defeat and Uruguay is in the semi-finals against the Netherlands.  The hope for a nation ended in PK’s with Uruguay defeating Ghana 5-3 on Friday, July 2nd in Soccer City.

The Ghana Black Stars was the younger team.  The South American team Uruguay has the experience.  Ghana came very close to going to the semi-finals of the biggest tournament in the world’s most popular sport.  But the Black Stars are going home.

After a 1-1 draw, Ghanaian Star striker Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty kick at the tail end of the second extra time period and Ghana lost on penalty kicks.

This win sent the South American country into the semifinals for the first time in 40 years.

Six African nation teams started the 2010 World Cup.  Ghana was the only team to make it thus far.  The Ghana Black Stars were trying to make history in South Africa.

With an entire continent behind them, the ‘Black Stars’ were trying to go where no African team has ever gone – to the semi-finals.  But, the South American team stood in their way of advancing in the competition.

Cameroon, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana have all now fallen from the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Up next for Uruguay – Uruguay meets The Netherlands in the semi-final.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Germany ran over Argentina, had a staggering 4-0 quarterfinal victory on Saturday, July 3rd.

The Germans proved to be a team not to reckon with.  Argentina had a weak defense line which denied them the opportunity to advance to the semi-finals.

This will be Germany’s third straight trip to the semis and its 12th overall.

Up next for Germany, they will meet Spain in the semi-final.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Spain celebrates and goes to the semi-final for the first time.  Spain did it the hard way and defeated Paraguay 1-0 in Soccer City, Saturday July 3rd.

David Villa goal in the 83rd minute lifts Spain to the semi-final.  This is the Striker’s fifth goal of the tournament.

Spain will play Germany in Durban on Wednesday, July 3rd and joins the European party with the Netherlands.

But a display of pluck, cunning and skill saw Algeria hold overwhelming favorite England to a scoreless draw on Friday, and thus avoid becoming the first nation to be eliminated from the World Cup.

Now, if Algeria beats the United States on Wednesday in its last group game, it has a chance of reaching the second round for the first time in its history.

“I didn’t think of the last match,” said coach Rabah Saadane, knowing his country should keep its ambitions limited. “We go match by match,” he said, acknowledging he had not even thought of FIFA’s tiebreaker rules in case several teams end up on the same points tally.

“Against the United States, it is going to be extremely difficult,” he said of the match in Pretoria.

Going into the final group games, Slovenia leads Group C with four points, with England and the United States on two and Algeria on one. A victory over the U.S. would see Algeria jump over the Americans and qualify for the knockout stages, unless England beats Slovenia by such a margin that it left Algeria and Slovenia tied on goal difference.

“We were determined to show them we were not just here for the ride and that we have a decent team. Now we have to play the United States,” said midfielder Riad Boudebouz. “If we play like we did tonight, we can beat them.”

Algeria’s qualification demonstrated its ability to prevail in vital matches. After a 24-year absence from soccer’s biggest tournament, it only assured itself of qualification by beating African champion Egypt in a one-match playoff.

The team, known as the “Fennecs,” or “Desert Foxes,” had its finest hour at the 1982 World Cup, when it beat West Germany _ one of the favorites _ 2-1, and then Chile 3-2.

Still, it was eliminated after an infamous match in which West Germany beat Austria 1-0, conveniently sending both teams through. That match led to a change in FIFA’s scheduling rules to have final group matches played simultaneously to avoid collusion.

A victory against the Ivory Coast will be enough for Brazil to advance ahead of its last group match against Portugal on June 25. The Ivory Coast needs to beat Brazil to get into a good position to move on, or at least hold the five-time champions to a draw to keep its hopes alive before playing North Korea in its final match.

“We gained confidence with the first victory and we need another one now to guarantee a place in the next round,” Brazil striker Nilmar said. “We can do it in advance, so we need to try to go for it.”

Brazil began the World Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the lowly ranked North Korea on Tuesday in Johannesburg, while the Ivory Coast was held to a scoreless draw with Portugal in Port Elizabeth.

“If we defend well, we should be able to get a good result,” Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue said. “(Brazil is) a great team, everybody knows this, but this motivates us and again we have to play at our best.”

It was unclear whether Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was going to start on Sunday at Soccer City Stadium, but coach Sven-Goran Eriksson hinted the Chelsea striker could be in the starting lineup. Drogba broke his right arm in a warmup ahead of the World Cup, but he underwent surgery and came off the bench to play more than 20 minutes against Portugal.

“Every player feels very, very well and we’ve got confidence in ourselves,” Eboue said. “If Drogba plays, it will be very great for us.”

The Brazilians are hoping Ivory Coast will not stay back on defense from the start on Sunday, creating the same problems that the defensive-minded North Korean caused in the opener. Brazil struggled to come up with scoring opportunities and needed second-half goals to earn the victory at Ellis Park.

“Ivory Coast will come out playing more offensively and that should give us some openings,” Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar said. “It’s harder for us if a team plays only thinking about defending and not about attacking.”

Brazil will reach six points with a victory, enough to guarantee the team one of the two spots advancing from the group. The Ivory Coast would not be eliminated with a loss, but it would make it very hard for the African nation to advance.

It will be the first match between Brazil and Ivory Coast, but Brazil has played African nations five other times in the World Cup, winning each time. The most recent was four years ago, when the Brazilians defeated Ghana 3-0 in the round of 16 in Germany before losing the quarterfinal to France.

“It will be a difficult game for us,” Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote said. “Brazil is very strong in attack so we have to watch out for that. We will have to be well-organized and attack when we can and when we have to.”

Coach Dunga acknowledged that Brazil was below its best against North Korea, but was expecting natural improvement.

“The tendency is for us to improve as we play more matches,” Brazil striker Robinho said. “Hopefully it will be enough to give us the win against the Ivory Coast and a spot in the next round.”

Robinho could take over the playmaker’s role on Sunday if Kaka continues to struggle to find his form after entering the World Cup recovering from a series of injuries with Real Madrid.

Kaka was far from his best in the match against North Korea and was substituted in the 78th minute. If he doesn’t play the entire match on Sunday, Robinho could move back to midfield.

Brazil should start with the same 11 from the start, as should the Ivory Coast.

Brazil has played in all 19 World Cups so far, while the Ivory Coast is playing only in its second. It failed to get past the group stage four years ago in Germany.

Police said Kunle Benjamin was sentenced on Wednesday after he “could not give a satisfactory explanation” why he had the tickets in his possession.

Benjamin was stopped in his car in the South African capital Pretoria when police noticed him driving “erratically.”

Police said in a statement Thursday that a magistrate at the World Cup court convicted Benjamin of possessing stolen property. He was incarcerated without the option of a fine.

Police say FIFA discovered the tickets had been bought by two men on the Internet, but their addresses could not be verified.

“This is yet again an example of the effectiveness of having dedicated teams … to deal with World Cup-related offenses,” the police statement said.

Benjamin is thought to be the first person sentenced to a jail term by one of the temporary courts.

South African police have moved quickly to clamp down on any illegal activity that affects the commercial rights of FIFA and the World Cup.

Two Dutch women were arrested Wednesday for alleged ambush marketing after they were among 30 women wearing bright orange dresses provided by a beer company to the World Cup game between the Netherlands and Denmark at Soccer City.

Police said Barbara Castelein and Minte Niewpoort were each granted bail of 10,000 rand ($1,300) and had their passports confiscated. They will face charges relating to “unlawful commercial activities.”

FIFA said it would also press charges against the organizers of the stunt, brewer Bavaria, which is not a World Cup sponsor.

Even if some of the tournament’s top stars _ France’s Franck Ribery and Uruguay’s Diego Forlan _ showed flashes, the fear of losing the opening game stifled both offenses.

The low point came when Uruguay’s Nicolas Lodeiro was ejected after a wild challenge on Bacary Sagna in the 81st minute for his second yellow card.

In the end, an early short-range miss by France’s Sidney Govou and an excellent save from Uruguay’s Fernando Muslera left Group A as wide open as possible.

The match at the sellout 64,100 Green Point Stadium had few of the thrills and drama of the 1-1 opener between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City, but the result left all four teams tied with one point.

“It is almost a beautiful 0-0,” France coach Raymond Domenech said. “But the result is what it is.”

South Africa plays Uruguay next on Wednesday, one day before France meets Mexico.

“There weren’t many chances for either team, neither team wanted to take many chances,” Forlan said. “It was very complicated. The whole game was equal, I thought.”

Down to 10 men for the last 9 minutes plus 3 minutes of injury time, Uruguay concentrated on kicking the ball away from its penalty area and net. But even with a man up, France failed to find a goal.

After the final whistle, the Uruguayans embraced, happy to have escaped with a point, while most French players looked sullen, saddled with the disappointment of a lost opportunity.

French coach Domenech swiped his hand in frustration and then dug them deep in his pockets before going to shake Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez’s hand.

Both teams were bothered by a slippery pitch that made deep passes next to impossible and left even Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimmura unsure of his footing at one stage.

France dominated the first half, but its lack of a finishing touch showed the lack of confidence that has long affected the 1998 champion.

“We had to guard against an unlucky counter,” Domenech said.

Great work from Abou Diaby set up Ribery on the left side and his pinpoint low cross found Govou in the center. But Govou didn’t blast the ball home, sending it far wide instead.

Some of France’s best chances came from set pieces, usually taken by Yoann Gourcuff. On one, the midfielder curled a free kick to the near corner, forcing Fernando Muslera to make an excellent save.

Uruguay, which won the title in 1930 and 1950, sometimes had at least seven players in its penalty area to contain a lone Frenchman.

It clearly wanted to give its standout forward duo of Forlan and Luis Suarez room to take on the French defense. And in the 17th minute, he outwitted Bakari Sagna and swept past a slow-moving William Gallas to give goalie Hugo Lloris his first test. It was Uruguay’s only first-half chance.

In the 72nd minute, Forlan had an open shot from 15 yards he sent just went wide.

Dashing the hopes of many, the anti-apartheid hero and former president couldn’t make it to the opening of the World Cup Friday. Nearly 92, Mandela is frail, and his family was sent into shock when his 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in car crash on the way home from Thursday night’s gala pre-tournament concert.

But Mandela sent a message, via South African President Jacob Zuma, that the revelers should enjoy themselves. They took it to heart.

From the start of the ceremony to the final whistle of the first match, four hours later, Soccer City was abuzz with vuvuzelas _ the plastic horns favored by South African fans that collectively sound like the amplified interior of a beehive.

Most of the crowd of 84,000 wore the yellow jerseys of Bafana Bafana, the host country’s team, with a few pockets of green _ fans of Mexico, South Africa’s foe in the opener.

Even the result did little did dampen the festive mood. Mexico is ranked much higher among soccer nations, after all.

And for one stretch, the home fans were in utter delirium. The level of bedlam and euphoria somehow ratcheted to a higher level when Siphiwe Tshabalala gave South Africa a 1-0 lead with a stylish goal in the 55th minute. Mexico’s tying goal, 24 minutes later, subdued the noise only briefly.

It was a day that many South Africans welcomed with amazement. Only 20 years ago, their nation was still in the throes of apartheid _ and the target of an international sports boycott because of those racial segregation policies.

On Friday, whites and blacks rooted side by side for the home team. And on the clogged highway leading to the stadium, little blond children in their families’ vans waved South African flags and grinned warmly at the black children cheering and dancing along the roadside.

Just before kickoff, Zuma, sporting a scarf in national colors, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke briefly to the crowd from midfield.

Blatter depicted this World Cup as a triumph for Africa, which had never before hosted the event despite its passion for the game. He added: “The spirit of Mandela is in Soccer City.”

The crowd then rose for the Mexican and South African national anthems _ the latter a fusion of the main hymn of the anti-apartheid movement and the anthem of the former white-minority government.

Then it was game time and the horns sounded louder than ever.

Several key players in South Africa’s political transformation were there, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who at one point was dancing in his seat to the music. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also was among the VIPs.

It was not an occasion for those who like it quiet, thanks to the vuvuzelas _ although they were briefly drowned out by the overflight of military jets just before the opening ceremony.

The public address announcer then begged the crowd to ease up on the noise so the global television audience could hear the music. The plea met with limited success.

An all-star cast of musicians, including South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and American singer R. Kelly, performed. Cast members brought out large placards with the flags of the 32 nations competing in the tournament, holding them high as a final burst of fireworks ended the show.

Before long, the video screens were showing South Africa’s players were dancing, singing and chanting in the tunnel on their way to the field.

Soccer City was nowhere near full at the start of the opening ceremony. Thousands of fans were stuck in traffic jams on roads leading to the stadium _ regaled along the way by groups of dancing, chanting young people in Bafana shirts and by vendors selling the multicolored South African flag.

“The traffic was mad! There should have been better organization,” said 24-year-old Farzana Essop, whose party turned back before reaching the stadium, where they’d hoped _ somehow _ to obtain tickets.

Those who didn’t go to the stadium had ample options.

South African city officials set up 10 official fan parks in the nine host cities to cater to fans who couldn’t get match tickets.

In downtown Johannesburg, a viewing area was so packed that a crowd-control barrier was toppled at one point. It didn’t stop the party.

The U.S. team was delayed twice Friday when elephants blocked the road, the second back-up coming as the squad was traveling to its training session at Royal Bafokeng Stadium. The elephant was munching on a tree as the Americans left the Bakubung Bush Lodge, and it moved to the side of the road after about 4 minutes.

“Everybody had their cell phones out, pictures were being taken,” coach Bob Bradley said. “It was all part of the experience.”

Earlier in the afternoon, a bus carrying 10 players on their way to an open-air market at the entrance to the team hotel got stuck behind an elephant, spokesman Michael Kammarman said. Players had timed the trip to get back to the hotel in time for the start of the World Cup opener between South Africa and Mexico.

Signs outside the U.S. hotel warn: “ELEPHANTS COME CLOSE TO OUR FENCE KEEP A DISTANCE OF 30 METERS AND PLEASE BE QUIET” and “BABOONS ARE DANGEROUS _ PLEASE KEEP CLEAR OF THEM AND DO NOT FEED THEM.” Another one reads, “THIS IS BIG 5 TERRITORY TREAT THE ANIMALS WITH RESPECT AND THEY WILL RETURN THE COMPLIMENT.”

“It was cool,” U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said of the up-close encounter with the animal kingdom. “A big elephant, just eating on the path out of our hotel.”

It wasn’t clear if the same elephant caused both delays. Or whether it will now have a starring role in Saturday’s coverage by Walt Disney-owned ABC.

FIRST ROUND

Friday, June 11

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

South Africa vs. Mexico, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Cape Town, South Africa

Uruguay vs. France, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, June 12

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

South Korea vs. Greece, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Johannesburg, Ellis Park

Argentina vs. Nigeria, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Rustenburg, South Africa

England vs. United States, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 13

At Polokwane, South Africa

Algeria vs. Slovenia, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Pretoria, South Africa

Serbia vs. Ghana, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Durban, South Africa

Germany vs. Australia, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Monday, June 14

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

Netherlands vs. Denmark, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Bloemfontein, South Africa

Japan vs. Cameroon, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Cape Town, South Africa

Italy vs. Paraguay, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, June 15

At Rustenburg, South Africa

New Zealand vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Ivory Coast vs. Portugal, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Johannesburg, Ellis Park

Brazil vs. North Korea, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, June 16

At Nelspruit, South Africa

Honduras vs. Chile, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Durban, South Africa

Spain vs. Switzerland, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Pretoria, South Africa

South Africa vs. Uruguay, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, June 17

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

Argentina vs. South Korea, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Bloemfontein, South Africa

Nigeria vs. Greece, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Polokwane, South Africa

Mexico vs. France, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Friday, June 18

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Germany vs. Serbia, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Johannesburg, Ellis Park

United States vs. Slovenia, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Cape Town, South Africa

England vs. Algeria, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday, June 19

At Durban, South Africa

Netherlands vs. Japan, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Rustenburg, South Africa

Australia vs. Ghana, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Pretoria, South Africa

Denmark vs. Cameroon, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 20

At Bloemfontein, South Africa

Paraguay vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Nelspruit, South Africa

Italy vs. New Zealand, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

Brazil vs. Ivory Coast, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Monday, June 21

At Cape Town, South Africa

North Korea vs. Portugal, 7:30 a.m. (ESPN)

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Switzerland vs. Chile, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Johannesburg, Ellis Park

Spain vs. Honduras, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, June 22

At Rustenburg, South Africa

Mexico vs. Uruguay, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Bloemfontein, South Africa

France vs. South Africa, 10 a.m. (ESPN2)

At Durban, South Africa

Nigeria vs. South Korea, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

At Polokwane, South Africa

Greece vs. Argentina, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, June 23

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Slovenia vs. England, 10 a.m. (ESPN2)

At Pretoria, South Africa

United States vs. Algeria, 10 a.m.

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

Ghana vs. Germany, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

At Nelspruit, South Africa

Australia vs. Serbia, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Thursday, June 24

At Johannesburg, Ellis Park

Slovakia vs. Italy, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Polokwane, South Africa

Paraguay vs. New Zealand, 10 a.m. (ESPN2)

At Rustenburg, South Africa

Denmark vs. Japan, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

At Cape Town, South Africa

Cameroon vs. Netherlands, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Friday, June 25

At Durban, South Africa

Portugal vs. Brazil, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

At Nelspruit, South Africa

North Korea vs. Ivory Coast, 10 a.m. (ESPN2)

At Pretoria, South Africa

Chile vs. Spain, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

At Bloemfontein, South Africa

Switzerland vs. Honduras, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

___

SECOND ROUND

Saturday, June 26

Match 49

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Group A winner vs. Group B second place, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Match 50

At Rustenburg, South Africa

Group C winner vs. Group D second place, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 27

Match 51

At Bloemfontein, South Africa

Group D winner vs. Group C second place, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Match 52

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

Group B winner vs. Group A second place, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Monday, June 28

Match 53

At Durban, South Africa

Group E winner vs. Group F second place, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Match 54

At Johannesburg, Ellis Park

Group G winner vs. Group H second place, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, June 29

Match 55

At Pretoria, South Africa

Group F winner vs. Group E second place, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Match 56

At Cape Town, South Africa

Group H winner vs. Group G second place, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

___

QUARTERFINALS

Friday, July 2

Match 57

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Match 53 winner vs. Match 54 winner, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Match 58

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

Match 49 winner vs. Match 50 winner, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, July 3

Match 59

At Cape Town, South Africa

Match 52 winner vs. Match 51 winner, 10 a.m. (ABC)

Match 60

At Johannesburg, Ellis Park

Match 55 winner vs. Match 56 winner, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

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SEMIFINALS

Tuesday, July 6

At Cape Town, South Africa

Match 58 winner vs. Match 57 winner, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, July 7

At Durban, South Africa

Match 59 winner vs. Match 60 winner, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

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THIRD PLACE

Saturday, July 10

At Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Semifinal losers, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

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FINAL

Sunday, July 11

At Johannesburg, Soccer City

Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

And this time it’s not only goalkeepers who are complaining. Strikers, defenders and midfielders are also lashing out at the Adidas ball just a few days before the monthlong tournament is to begin in South Africa.

The ball is called Jabulani, which means “to celebrate” in isiZulu, but not many are celebrating it so far. It’s hard to find a player who is happy with it, and those who don’t like it are not saving adjectives to describe their feelings.

“It’s very weird,” Brazil striker Luis Fabiano said Sunday. “All of a sudden it changes trajectory on you. It’s like it doesn’t want to be kicked. It’s incredible, it’s like someone is guiding it. You are going to kick it and it moves out of the way. I think it’s supernatural, it’s very bad. I hope to adapt to it as soon as possible, but it’s going to be hard.”

Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar on Saturday called the ball “terrible” and was the first to compare it to those plastic ones bought on a supermarket. Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini said the same thing, calling it a “disaster.”

“It moves so much and makes it difficult to control. You jump up to head a cross and suddenly the ball will move and you miss it,” Pazzini said. “It is especially bad for the goalkeepers if it means they concede a goal because they can’t judge the trajectory.”

Adidas traditionally launches new balls for each World Cup and they usually cause controversy because of the changes prompted by the new technology being introduced. Most of the time the ball becomes speedier and goalkeepers are the ones most affected by it. But this time the livelier ball is causing problems to field players, too.

“There is no way to hide it,” Brazil midfielder Julio Baptista said. “It’s bad for the goalkeepers and it’s bad for us. It’s really bad. The players try to cross it and it goes to the opposite direction they intended it to go.”

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas also expressed his anger at the design of the ball after the European champion’s 3-2 friendly win over Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

“It’s sad that that such an important competition like the World Cup has such an important element like this ball of appalling condition,” he said.

Adidas said the technology on the Jabulani is “radically new,” and when it launched the ball in December is said that it would sail true because small dots on the surface would help improve reliability in the air. It said the ball would have “an exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions.”

FIFA and Adidas did not immediately return messages seeking comment Sunday.

Adidas has released some promotional materials in which some of its sponsored players praise the ball, including Kaka, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech and Frank Lampard. Ballack called the ball “fantastic.”

Spain defender Alvaro Arbeloa, who also wears Adidas gear, had a simple answer when asked about the ball: “It’s round, like always.”

“It happens every time, the players always complain about the ball,” said former Brazil great Tostao. “It used to be the goalkeepers only, but now we have the others complaining, too. At the greatest competition in the world you would think that the players would like the ball, but that’s not the case.”

Players were already expecting the ball to be affected by the high altitude in Johannesburg and some other host cities. A study by Adidas last year showed the altitude will have an impact of up to 5 percent on the ball’s speed, meaning a 20-yard free kick will reach the goal line 5 percent faster than it would at sea level.

The ball is made up of 11 colors to represent the players in a starting lineup and the 11 official languages and the 11 communities of the host country.

“That’s the ball they chose and we have to accept it,” Baptista said. “But it’s going to be complicated.”

The World Cup begins June 11 with South Africa playing Mexico.