FIFA Ranking: 81
Group: A, with France, Mexico, and Uruguay.
Qualification Route: As hosts, South Africa qualified automatically.
Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira. The veteran Parreira is back for his second stint as coach of South Africa. He is a regular at the World Cup, having coached Kuwait in 1982; the United Arab Emirates in 1986; Brazil in both 1994 and 2006; and Saudi Arabia in 1998. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994.
Recent World Cup History: Not good. South Africa did not qualify for the 2006 tournament, and were eliminated at the end of the first round in both 2002 and 1998.
Key Player: Steven Pienaar (right) is a lively and dangerous winger equally comfortable on the left or right flank. His experience with Everton in the English Premier League will be key to South Africa’s hopes.
Goal Scorer: Benni McCarthy is South Africa’s all-time leading goal-scorer. Currently an infrequent member of West Ham’s starting 11 in the English Premier League, he may have the advantage of being fresh and eager when the World Cup comes around.
Prospects: Despite being one of the lowest ranked countries at the World Cup, and lacking any international football pedigree, there is always a tremendous desire for the host nation to do well at the World Cup. Given the relatively modest opposition in Group A, and strong home support, South Africa should progress. In Round 2, the opposition could be any of Argentina, Nigeria, Greece or South Korea; a place in the Quarter Finals for South Africa is therefore not out of the question, and perhaps even likely.
FIFA Ranking: 17
Group: A, with South Africa, France, and Uruguay.
Qualification Route: Mexico qualified from the North America / Central America / Caribbean zone. After a horrible start to the qualifying campaign (three defeats in the first four matches), they eventually finished a close second to the USA and qualified comfortably. However, Mexico relied heavily on their home form to qualify. Away from Mexico, they won just one, drew one, and lost three of their games.
Coach: Javier Aguirre. Aguirre took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson and engineered the revival in form and fortune that resulted in qualification. Aguirre has a strong record of over-achievement on a modest budget at Atletico Madrid, and previously coached Mexico at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea / Japan.
Recent World Cup History: Mexico has qualified for the past four World Cups. In each of the 2006, 2002, 1998, and 1994 tournaments, they made it out of the group stage but were eliminated in Round 2. Their best relatively recent performance was in 1986 on home turf, when Mexico made the Quarter Final.
Key Player: Rafael Marquez (right) is the experienced rock at the heart of Mexico’s defence. The Barcelona man will need to be at his best to organize his fellow defenders and blunt opponents’ attacks.
Goal Scorers: Mexico scored 18 goals in their 10 qualifying games; incredibly, the goals were shared among 14 players. Veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco was top scorer with 3 goals. But at 37 years old, his continued effectiveness at the top level is a question mark. Omar Bravo and Guillermo Franco have the experience but relatively poor international scoring records. Mexico may need to rely heavily on youngsters Giovani dos Santos and Carlos Vela to grow up in a hurry.
Prospects: Mexico do not travel very well, and this time they may not make it out of Group A. An early exit at the end of the first round is the most likely outcome.
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