The team will play in Group D with Australia, Serbia, and Germany. While Ghana reached the second round of the 2006 World Cup, they’re in a tough group this time, and will have to stay sharp if they want to move on. They also seem to have a stronger and more unified team than Ivory Coast. They’re coming off of a very good Cup of Nations, having reached the final before losing to the Egyptian team. The ‘Black Stars’ have a strong team of players like Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien and Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari. Ghana may be Africa’s best bet to win at this World Cup. Ivory Coast also had the misfortune to be drawn in the difficult Group G with Brazil, Portugal, and North Korea. A change like this, especially this close to the World Cup, could affect the team. They’re also working with a new coach, former England coach Sven Goran-Eriksson, who they brought back in March. On the roster, this is probably Africa’s most talented team.ĭespite its immense talent, the team has a reputation for reacting badly to pressure. Ivory Coast team consists of star players like current African Footballer of the Year Didier Drogba, Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboué, Manchester City defender Kolo Toure, and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure. The team is in Group A with France, Mexico, and Uruguay. Most of the squad plays in South Africa’s domestic league. The team did play moderately well in the 2009 Confederations Cup, where they reached the second round before losing to Brazil.Īmong ‘Bafana Bafana’s’ more prominent players are Steven Pienaar, who plays for Everton, and forward Benni McCarthy, of West Ham United.
Some fear that South Africa might become the first World Cup host nation not to make it out of the group stage. Here’s a look at the teams and how they’re expected to perform:Īs the host nation, South Africa didn’t have to go through the normal qualifying process and is the lowest-ranked African nation playing this year’s World Cup (90th in the FIFA world rankings). Since this year’s World Cup is the first ever to be played on African soil, there will be more supporters of African nations at the games and more pressure on African teams to win. So far, no African team has ever advanced past the quarterfinals. While they’ve produced many talented players, African nations have a history of underachieving at the World Cup.
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