Six African Nations Set 2010 World Cup Stage

For the first time in the 80-year history of the World Cup, the tournament that captivates the globe will make its home on African soil, as South Africa will host the one-month football feast (June 11-July 11). Many are interested to see how the six African squads (Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, Algeria, Ivory Coast and Nigeria) fare in the upcoming event.

With the tournament being on the continent for the first time, will that be enough to propel one of these six nations into uncharted territory--the semifinals? An African nation has reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in two World Cups, with the "Indomitable Lions" of Cameroon becoming the first Aftrican nation to accomplish the feat in 1990, while upstart Senegal reached quarterinals in the 2002 Cup.

South Africa, who enters the tournament ranked 86th in the latest FIFA world rankings, hopes to avoid becoming the first host nation that fails to reach the second round of the tournament. "Bafana Bafana" as they are affectionately known, will be making just their second appearance on the world stage, having appeared in only one other tournament, which was the 1998 World Cup in France.

In that tournament 12 years ago, the South African’s failed to net a goal and played in a group that featured eventual champion France, as well as Saudi Arabia and Denmark. "Bafana Bafana" have the weight of a continent riding on their shoulders, as the Green and Gold clad hosts open the tournament in the beautiful Soccer City Stadium against Mexico in Johannesburg on June 11.

Which of the African nations has the best chance of not only reaching the tournament's semifinals for the first time, but winning the whole thing? That distinction would have to be Ivory Coast. "The Elephants" qualified for their first World Cup in 2006, but while it played exciting soccer, they had little to show for it, dropping matches to Argentina (1-2) and Holland (1-2). Ivory Coast’s exciting brand of soccer is sure to delight the masses this summer, with the likes of star striker Didier Drogba and running mate Saloman Kalou, providing flair and a fierce finishing tandem.

Playing in a group with both Brazil and Portugal, the best Africa has to offer is matched with two of the best the world has to offer. One thing is for sure, there will be no shortage of excitement when "The Elephants" take the pitch in their second World Cup appearance. Nigeria is a nation that has been expected to produce on the global stage ever since the success the nation enjoyed in the mid-late 1990’s.

The "Super Eagles" of Nigeria were the 'toast of Africa' in the 1994 World Cup, but were left only with heartbreak in the United States, as Italy’s Roberto Baggio sent the Nigerians home with a late equalizer and a goal in extra time to help the Itailians avoid the upset.

Two years later, the Nigerians claimed a Gold Medal in the Olympic games, with a thrilling 3-2 win over Argentina in the Gold Medal match at the Atlanta Olympics. Nigerian flair has introduced us to the likes of Finidi George, Sunday Oliseh, Rashidi Yekini and Jay Jay Okocha.The newest breed of Super Eagles are led by the flashy Yakubu Aiyegbeni up top, who has acquitted himself as one of Africa’s most-potent goal-scorers during Nigeria’s qualifying run.

Veteran Nwanko Kanu, who comes off the bench, gives the otherwise young Nigerians plenty of experience coming off the bench. Kanu was a member of that 1994 squad that made the country’s debut in the World Cup and he has had to overcome a serious heart condition, which required surgery to repair a small opening in his heart. John Obi Mikel, who plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League, solidifies the midfield.

Like most African nations, the Nigerians have a tendency to be careless and undisciplined on defense at times, often causing them to yield either a goal or play a man down as a result of careless tackling. Nigeria will play in a group with rival Argentina, South Korea and Greece. The Super Eagles might have the easiest group of any of the African nations and will have a solid opportunity of making the second phase.

Before anyone knew of Nigeria, they knew of Cameroon. The "Indomitable Lions" made their inaugural World Cup appearance back in 1982, tying all three of its matches, including a 0-0 draw with eventual champion Italy, but failed to qualify for the second round on goal difference. Eight years later, Cameroon would get off to a flying start in the tournament, forging one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, shocking World Cup holder Argentina, 1-0, on an 80th minute header by Francois Oman-Biyik.

Cameroon showed that its World Cup opener wasn’t a fluke, going on to take down Romania (2-1) before losing their final group game to the Russians (0-4), but did more than enough to make the second round. After taking down South American upstarts Colombia 2-0 in its second round match, Cameroon took on one of soccer’s "bluebloods," England, in the quarterfinals.

A Gary Lineker spot kick late helped the English escape the gallows of its own fans upon returning to London, as England ended Cameroon’s World Cup dreams, 3-2.Many feel Cameroon might have its weakest World Cup team since 1982 and unlike Nigeria, the Indomitable Lions will face one of the tourney’s toughest groups, facing two European lions, in Denmark and Holland.

That certainly doesn’t mean that Cameroon doesn’t have the talent to be a factor in Group E, especially with one of the world’s top goalscorers, Samuel Eto’o. Cameroon has steadily struggled since its quarterfinal run in 1990, winning only once against Saudi Arabia (1-0) back in their last World Cup appearance in 2002. Stephane Mbia is an exciting wing midfielder, while Carlos Kameni is Cameroon’s top goalkeeper since the days of Thomas Nkono.

"The Black Stars" of Ghana were the latest in African brilliance on the world stage, showcasing their flair and skill in the 2006 World Cup. Ghana qualified for the second round in excuberent fashion, before being humbled, 4-1, by Brazil in the second round. With an average age of just 24, the Black Stars brought delightful skill and played at a break-neck pace in the previous Cup in Germany.

Ghana, long known for its status as world power at the youth levels, finally got the most out of that pipeline in 2006, as the Black Stars got an opening round victory over the United States (2-1) and defeated group favorites Czech Republic (2-0) to stun the world. The only setback for Ghana was a 2-0 defeat at the hands of eventual World Cup champion Italy.

Ghana makes its second World Cup appearance bringing a litany of stars to South Africa, which will again include one of the world’s top central midfielders, Michael Essien. Asamoah Gyan can score goals in bunches, as evidenced by his three goals in the African Nation’s Cup, before eventually losing to Egypt in penalties.

However,outside of Gyan, there is a growing concern that the Black Stars lack much finishing when he is off his game. Ghana won’t have an easy group to deal with either, as Germany and Australia will prove to be worthy opponents and their bid to make the second phase in their second appearance doesn't look too promising.

Algeria will be making only its second World Cup appearance, with its last appearance in the World Cup coming way back in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. The "Desert Foxes" as they are known are considered to be the weakest of the African teams that have qualified for the 2010 tournament. Algeria, likes its other counterparts from the African continent participating in the tournament, are a real joy to watch, possessing a flair and flamboyant style.

The Algerians will play in Group C, along with the United States, England and Slovenia. In 1982, Algeria forged one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, defeating World Cup favorite Germany, 1-0, in a first-round match.

This gave birth to what is known as the "handshake match," as the Algerians were subject to one of the cruelest fates of any first time World Cup qualifier. Needing just a draw in their final match against each other, Germany and Austria agreed to play to a 0-0 draw, which meant both countries advanced on to the next round, knocking the Algerians out on goal-differential.

Algeria will bring one of the tournament’s most-lethal goalscorers to South Africa next month, in Abdelkedar Ghezzal, who plays his club soccer in Italy’s Serie A, with Siena. The other half of that strike force up front will be right winger Mourri Meghni, who also plays his club soccer in Italy’s Serie A, with Lazio.

The six African nations represented certainly have the potential to go further than they ever have on the world stage. Ivory Coast looks to be the strongest African nation in the tournament and probably the strongest African nation in a World Cup since 2002, when Senegal made such a strong run in South Korea.

So much momentum resides with the record number of qualifiers from Africa, affording the continent a real chance for one of the six to enter uncharted territory in the 32-team tournament. Lending even more credance to that aforementioned hope is recent history, which shows how South Korea and Japan captivated the continent of Asia in 2002 by navigating well in unfamiliar territory.

With the continent of Africa possessing much more talent than the Asians did eight years ago, the home soil could be enough to propel an African nation to a World Cup crown in 2010.