FIFA World Cup 2010: Who Will Shine in South Africa?

In June 32 teams will grace the South African soil in their bids to earn the ultimate prize in football, the World Cup. The pride and dreams of these nations rest on the handpicked 23 players who make up their squads, who have a once in a lifetime chance to make themselves a hero and a worldwide name that could make, or break, their careers.

Nations from 6 continents will participate in the month long tournament, and with the greatest variety of different cultures and traditions ever represented in the World Cup on show in this period, it is an unmissable spectacle. The traditional footballing giants will come up against the bright, vibrant and ambitious underdogs in battles to determine the greatest footballing nation on Earth, and in this article I am going to pick my favourites for the coveted trophy.

The reigning champions of the world come from Europe. Italy look to defend the title they won in Germany 4 years ago but it will be far more difficult for the Azzurri this time around. Although they have great experience with their centurion capped Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro, they are an aging team whose younger additions lack international experience. Their hopes rest on the efforts of several key players, notably the aforementioned Buffon & Cannavaro, Roma ace Daniele de Rossi, Milan legend Andrea Pirlo and Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino. However, I think it will be a struggle for Italy to retain their title and I believe there are stronger nations from the European continent in the competition.

Spain are the obvious European favourites to win the trophy. The reigning Euro 2008 champions have finally cracked the code for winning major trophies and have a squad that many club teams would die for, let alone a national side. The midfield flair and creativity of Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas mixed with the solidity of Javi Martinez, Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso is an unbelievable selection headache for coach Vicente Del Bosque, added to his world class strikers in Fernando Torres and David Villa along with the pace and skill of wingers Jesus Navas and David Silva, Spain have the most creative and potent attacking force in the competition. They are also strong at the back, with centre backs Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Raul Albiol to choose from as well as 3 extraordinary keepers in Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes & Pepe Reina. Spain are so strong in nearly all areas of the pitch, but they do have a weakness, full back. Sergio Ramos is a good attacking Right back but he struggles with his defensive game, and Joan Capdevilla on the other flank is decent at best, so Spain do have a weakness but it's up to the other teams to try and contain their brilliant attacking players, otherwise the World Cup could well be on its way back to Espana .

Other European teams with a chance of winning are the usual suspects. Germany have a disciplined and efficient outfit, but the loss of their talisman Michael Ballack could be a massive blow to them, as he is their inspirational leader. The Netherlands  have some very talented players but never seem to have the unity or mental strength to go all the way, they have to improve on this to have any chance. The fitness of Arjen Robben is key, as is the form of Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Robin Van Persie. However the Dutch's on the field weakness is at the back with an ageing Van Bronckhorst and a lack of a top class keeper or defender, so I think Holland will suffer the same fate as in Euro 2008, fly through the group stages and then flop against the first good team they come up against. Other teams like France , Portugal and England have some quality players, but as a team they aren't as strong as the others and the quarter finals for them, especially Portugal who will have a very tough run, will be a good effort. There are several potential darkhorses from European shores in the competition, with my pick for a strong underdog showing being Serbia, who did badly last time around in Germany 2006, but have some quality players like Zdravko Kuzmanovic, Milos Krasic and Nemanja Vidic. They and others like Slovakia and Denmark could surprise quite a few people in South Africa.

South America have a number of representatives in South Africa this summer, but once again their hopes rest on the traditional duo. The clear favourites from the continent are Brazil , they are the best and most experienced side from the Americas at the tournament and will be a formidable outfit to face. However they have a tough group with Portugal and the Ivory Coast, so they have to perform from the outset. There may be a chance of weariness coming into a semi-final or final with the tough route they have to face, but with their stars like Kaka, Robinho, Maicon, Dani Alves and Julio Cesar they will still be one of the strong favourites in South Africa.

Their fierce rivals find themselves in an unusual situation. They qualified by the skin of their teeth after some dismal performances under Diego Maradona, who for the great attributes he had as a player is a terrible coach. The thing with Argentina is that they have such talented players that they could still be a threat regardless of the inadequacies of Diego, although he has done them no favours by dropping stars Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti as well as not picking an experienced goalkeeper and some inexperienced players like Javier Pastore. Argentina will have to do things the hard way but their strength is in attack. Lionel Messi will look to prove he is the best player in the world and not just great for his club and Argentina have an abundance of quality strikers including Kun Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Diego Milito. However I just think there are too many flaws in the Argentine squad for them to be able to be serious contenders this time around. The other South American nations, Chile , Paraguay and Uruguay , will aim to get into the 2nd Round and hope for a quarter final. They all have quality individuals and will be dangerous opposition for any nation they come up against in the tournament.

Asia has its fair share of representatives in South Africa, including their new addition, Australia . However none of the sides really have any chance of progressing further than the 2nd round, especially North Korea who selected a striker as a goalkeeper in their squad and are in the group of death. It will be left up to Japan , South Korea and Australia to carry the torch, but although they have a few good individuals, their squads aren't strong enough to beat top quality opposition, though i fancy South Korea to make the biggest impact as they have a decent group. Oceania's representative is New Zealand , who qualify through Australia's defection to the Asian confederation. The Kiwis are one of the biggest underdogs in the competition, and even obtaining some points will be a great achievement for them.

North America has a couple of representatives. Honduras will be outsiders but have some quality players in Maynor Figueroa, Wilson Palacios and Humberto Suazo, so could do quite well. The continent's big two hopes though are the USA and Mexico , who both have a good opportunity to make it through the group stages, and USA's Confederations Cup performances last year gives them the belief they can do very well this time. North America needs to break the barrier and go far in a World Cup to boost the game in the region, and a strong showing from either side will help encourage the development of the game on the continent massively.

And finally we come onto the host continent, Africa. The hosts South Africa will look to make home advantage count, but they have a tough group and they aren't the strongest representative, and they could struggle. However the sheer fact they are hosting a World Cup will aid development of the game in the country massively, and it could help them build a stronger team for future tournaments. The other outsider is Algeria , who will just want a respectable campaign and if they are lucky they good make it through a tricky but reasonable group. Ghana , Nigeria and Cameroon will look to get the support of the locals to aid them to qualify for the knockout stages, which they have a good chance of doing, but the 2 former nations are missing key players in Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel, which could hurt them. The Ivory Coast have a very tricky group, but if Didier Drogba can be fit in time they have a good chance of upsetting Portugal and Brazil, but then if they qualify they could face Spain in the last 16, so their route is formidable, but they could be the fairytale story for the African continent.

Overall I think it will be one of the closest World Cups in history, but with all previews comes a prediction. For me it will come down to 2 teams, Brazil & Spain. My pick? Well I think it's about time Espana lifted the most famous trophy in association football. 

Whatever happens the World Cup will be a fantastic, unmissable spectacle that will shape the development of the game in the future for many of the participating nations.