2010 FIFA World Cup: Will South Africa Fall at the First Hurdle?

The 2010 World Cup is an historic occasion for the South African nation. Football was introduced to South Africa during the colonial era and while colonialism, along with apartheid, might have been rightfully consigned to the dustbin of history, football is still very much a part of today's South Africa.

South Africa's selection as a World Cup venue represents a real show of faith by FIFA in the troubled nation. Hosting such a prestigious event however is a responsibility that goes beyond the successful administration and execution of the tournament itself. No host nation has ever failed to progress from the group stages, an extraordinarily statistic given the calibre of some of the countries which have hosted previous World Cups.

Were South Africa to unable to get out of Group A they could spoil this historic occasion by going down in the history books for all the wrong reasons. The task is not an easy one. The other squads in the group, Mexico, Uruguay, and France, all posses players who, on paper at least, are superior to the South Africans. South Africa will need to finish above at least two of these teams if they are to reach the knock out stages of the competition.

South Africa did not qualify for this year's African Cup of Nations and would not have even come close to qualifying for the World Cup had they not been the hosts. To put into perspective how far the 1996 African Cup of Nations winners have fallen take a look at some of the African teams which finished ahead of them in qualifying. Teams like Cape Verde, Angola, Gambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Sudan, and Gabon.

The list of minor African nations which according to FIFA's qualification criteria are better than South Africa is actually considerably longer. While expectations for the host nation might be high, the reality is that progression beyond the group stages would represent a remarkable achievement for this South African side.

Steven Piennar is the team's outstanding player and the Everton midfielder has been on excellent form this season but he is no Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. It would be unrealistic to expect a player who is solid rather than spectacular to single-handedly save South Africa from the ignominy of a first round exit.

South Africa could well be reliant on a strike pairing consisting of two players who have never scored a single goal for their current clubs. Benni McCarthy has yet to hit the back of the net since a January loan move to West Ham Utd while Bernard Parker is so far scoreless for Dutch club FC Twente.

The vast majority of the remainder of the squad play their football in South Africa meaning that, while they may be entirely comfortable in the climate, they do not face world class opposition on a regular basis.

This motley crew of men, many of whom play for clubs such as Mamelodi Sundowns, Golden Arrows, and Supersport United, will together be charged with the considerable task of taking their nation to the latter stages of the 2010 World Cup.

It would definitely detract from the World Cup as a spectacle if the hosts involvement was to end prematurely and hopefully having home advantage will somehow compensate for the lack of world class players in the South African squad.

If circumstances can conspire to propel South Africa beyond the group stages of the World Cup it would be a real footballing fairytale. It is possibilities such as these which give the game its enduring appeal and make this the most eagerly anticipated sporting event in the world.