Pld Pts
 Uruguay 3 7
 Mexico 3 4
 South Africa 3 4
 France 3 1




Pld Pts
 Germany 3 6
 Ghana 3 4
 Australia 3 4
 Serbia 3 3



Group stage

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The first round, or group stage, saw the thirty-two teams divided into eight groups of four teams. Each group was a round-robin of six games, where each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same group. Teams were awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The teams finishing first and second in each group qualified for the Round of 16.

The South American teams performed strongly, with all five advancing to the knockout stages (four as group winners). The overall performance of African teams on the first occasion that the continent hosted the event was judged disappointing by observers such as Cameroon great Roger Milla.[1] Of the six African nations only three won any matches, and only one (Ghana) progressed out of the first round.

Only six out of thirteen UEFA teams progressed to the last sixteen, a record low since the round of 16 was adopted in 1986.[2] Both of the finalists from the preceding tournament, France and Italy, were eliminated in the initial stage of the competition, the first time this has happened at a World Cup.[3] New Zealand ended the tournament as the only undefeated team after drawing their three group matches, but they finished behind Paraguay and Slovakia and were eliminated.

 
Tie-breaking criteria

Teams were ranked on the following criteria:[4]

1. Greater number of points in all group matches
2. Goal difference in all group matches
3. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
4. Greatest number of points in matches between teams
5. Goal difference in matches between teams
6. Greatest number of goals scored in matches between teams
7. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee
Key to colours in group tables
Teams that advanced to the round of 16

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Uruguay 3 2 1 0 4 0 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Mexico 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4
3   South Africa (H) 3 1 1 1 3 5 −2 4
4   France 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
(H) Hosts
11 June 2010
South Africa   1 – 1   Mexico Soccer City, Johannesburg
Uruguay   0 – 0   France Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
16 June 2010
South Africa   0 – 3   Uruguay Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
17 June 2010
France   0 – 2   Mexico Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
22 June 2010
Mexico   0 – 1   Uruguay Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
France   1 – 2   South Africa Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Argentina 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 Advance to knockout stage
2   South Korea 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4
3   Greece 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 3
4   Nigeria 3 0 1 2 3 5 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
12 June 2010
South Korea   2 – 0   Greece Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Argentina   1 – 0   Nigeria Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
17 June 2010
Argentina   4 – 1   South Korea Soccer City, Johannesburg
Greece   2 – 1   Nigeria Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
22 June 2010
Nigeria   2 – 2   South Korea Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Greece   0 – 2   Argentina Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   United States 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2   England 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3   Slovenia 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4   Algeria 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
12 June 2010
England   1 – 1   United States Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
13 June 2010
Algeria   0 – 1   Slovenia Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
18 June 2010
Slovenia   2 – 2   United States Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
England   0 – 0   Algeria Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
23 June 2010
Slovenia   0 – 1   England Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
United States   1 – 0   Algeria Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Germany 3 2 0 1 5 1 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2   Ghana 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
3   Australia 3 1 1 1 3 6 −3 4
4   Serbia 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
13 June 2010
Switzerland   0 – 1   Bahrain
Spain   4 – 0   Australia
18 June 2010
Spain   3 – 1   Bahrain
Switzerland   1 – 1   Australia
23 June 2010
Spain   2 - 1    Switzerland [
Australia   1 – 1   Bahrain

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Netherlands 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4 9 Advance to knockout stage
2   Japan 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
3   Denmark 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 3
4   Cameroon 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
14 June 2010
Netherlands   2 – 0   Denmark Soccer City, Johannesburg
Japan   1 – 0   Cameroon Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
19 June 2010
Netherlands   1 – 0   Japan Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Cameroon   1 – 2   Denmark Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
24 June 2010
Denmark   1 – 3   Japan Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Cameroon   1 – 2   Netherlands Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

Group F

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14 June 2010
Portugal   1 – 1   Cameroon
Ecuador   1 – 2   Bulgaria
20 June 2010
Cameroon   3 – 2   Bulgaria Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Portugal   3 – 1   Ecuador Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
24 June 2010
Cameroon   3 – 2   Ecuador Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Bulgaria   0 – 4   Portugal Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Brazil 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Portugal 3 1 2 0 7 0 +7 5
3   Ivory Coast 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
4   North Korea 3 0 0 3 1 12 −11 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
15 June 2010
Ivory Coast   0 – 0   Portugal Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Brazil   2 – 1   North Korea Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
20 June 2010
Brazil   3 – 1   Ivory Coast Soccer City, Johannesburg
21 June 2010
Portugal   7 – 0   North Korea Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
25 June 2010
Portugal   0 – 0   Brazil Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
North Korea   0 – 3   Ivory Coast Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Spain 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6 Advance to knockout stage
2   Chile 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6
3    Switzerland 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
4   Honduras 3 0 1 2 0 3 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
16 June 2010
Honduras   0 – 1   Chile Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Spain   0 – 1    Switzerland Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
21 June 2010
Chile   1 – 0    Switzerland Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Spain   2 – 0   Honduras Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
25 June 2010
Chile   1 – 2   Spain Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Switzerland   0 – 0   Honduras Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
  1. ^ "Milla Disappointed With Africa". Soccer365.com. 9 July 2010.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference South Africa 2010 in numbers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Champions Italy crash out of World Cup". CNN. 24 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Fifa World Cup South Africa 2010 Regulations – Article 39.5" (PDF). FIFA. July 2007.