France coach Raymond Domenech has announced a provisional 30-man squad for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa in a month's time and the shock Patric Vieira has been left out!

Former France Captain Patric Vieira

The experienced midfielder and former France captain Patric Vieira has been left out of the provisional 30-man World Cup Squad.

I have found a link to the most awesome 2010 World Cup match schedule / calendar / teams / matches.

The Interactive graphic is in Spanish and English and depicts Match Schedules fro the days from 11 June to 11 July.

Other sections features cities and stadiums; national teams; groups and stages.

The moment has come for Mzansi to stand up and create history. Let us unite with the sound of vuvuzelas today at 12 noon.

Lets go out there and do what Mzansi does best... blow our Vuvuzelas and show our support of Bafana Bafana and for the 2010 World Cup.

Vuvuzela Moment

"Vuvuzela moment" is an initiative which will bring Mzansi to a standstill, make the world stand up and take notice of Mzansi's pride, its own heritage!

Ithumeleng Kune - Red Card Woe

Bafana Bafana vs Uruguay ended in a 0 – 3 to South Americans in an icy cold Pretoria last night with Diego Forlan and his strike partner Luis Suarez emerging as heroes.

When Switzerland beat Spain yesterday afternoon, it should have been a sign that the soccer gods were in an upside down mood.

Ok so you think building a paper model of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban is as exciting as watching paint dry? You'll change your mind when you see this video.

World Cup Matches, Moses Mabhida Stadium

And as a proud Durbanite, may I boast that the 2010 World Cup matches that have been played in Durban, have gone really well.

Engen Santos and Ajax Cape Town will inaugurate the world class Cape Town Stadium in Green Point today (Saturday, January 23, 2009). Kickoff is at 4pm.

Like the inaugural match of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in December, this is a test run and only 20 000 tickets were sold.

Cape Town Derby Thriller

It is only fitting that the city of Cape Town chose a classic Cape derby to launch this beautiful 68,000-seat stadium.

The Durban Beachfront Upgrade seems to be a much debated topic will it be ready in time for the 2010 World Cup or not? I say Yebo!

By the time the visitors arrive for the World Cup, it will all be ready.

I'm just sick and tired of negativity and whinging. I'm also tired of people projecting their own frustrations and miseries in their lives on political parties/ officials/the government/ their rugby or soccer team/ their neighbours/ affirmative action, etc.

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has announced his 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. South Africa will play Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg on 11 June.

After the training camps and fitness regimes and international friendlies, the coach has cut the Bafana Bafana squad to the regulation 23-man squad.

A doctored FIFA 2010 logo that appeared on a New Zealand Sports Store website that depicts one figure chasing another with a weapon, has been condemned by soccer's governing body.

"It's an insult to the South African people and the World Cup as a whole and is in bad taste because it implies South Africa's not a good, safe place to live and that South Africans are criminals," said Tai Nicholas, general secretary of Oceania Football, which represents Fifa in the Pacific said in nzherald.

So who isn't singing that Waka Waka song already? You know the official World Cup song?

I must admit that when I first heard Waka Waka I didn't like it at all. I was also thought it rubbish that Shakira sang the song and not an African singer. But now, I hear bits of Waka Waka here and there, and I must say, it is really catchy.

For those who haven't dressed up their blogs and websites yet, here are some free 2010 World Cup flagtags, Icons and Badges for all 32 teams.

Get a Flagtag

We haven't even seen all the teams play, so it is time to show which team you support, show your pride by decorating your website or blog with your national flag.

Watching the Bafana Bafana vs Uruguay match at the Fan Park on the Durban Beach front, and then the Germany vs Australia and Switzerland vs Spain matches in the Moses Mabhida Stadium, guest blogger and photographer Matthew Savides gives us a look at two days of World Cup Soccer

Silence.

Germany supporter Kevin Joo celebrated his birthday on Tuesday by blowing his vuvuzela and cheering his heart out as the Germany knocked four past a hapless Australian team. Photograph by Matthew Savides

A couple of months ago I wrote an article predicting that the vuvuzela would become the icon of the 2010 World Cup .

USA vs Ghana is going to be a very big match for Bob Bradley's men and for the Black Eagles who are carrying the hopes of the African continent.

Well it looks like the US is getting Soccer Fever. I've had reports from friends that bars in some cities/states are allowed to open at 8 in the morning (time zone difference) to Watch World cup Matches and people are packing arriving in droves to watch the games.

Strand Tower Hotel in Long Street, Cape Town

Are you looking for accommodation in Cape Town for the Argentina vs Germany quarterfinal on Saturday?

On Saturday 3 July in Match 59 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Argentina meets Germany at the Cape Town Stadium at 4pm (local time) to determine a spot in the semi finals.

Ask the Octopus

Get your Paul the Octopus iPhone App (unofficial) and you will have predictions in the palm of your hand so to speak.

It was just a matter of time before someone jumped on the very popular bandwagon of Paul the Psychic Octopus who made a string of winning predictions in the recent 2010 World Cup.

Paul the Octopus, Oracle of the 2010 World Cup is dead at two-and-a half years of natural causes.

Paul who correctly predicted the outcome of games during this year's World Cup soccer tournament died in his tank in Germany. Paul correctly predicted the outcome of all seven of Germany's games plus Spain's victory over the Netherlands in the final.

Today is the day the Final Sales Phase for 2010 World Cup Tickets Kicks off. This is the first time that South African soccer fans can go to Checkers or FNB and buy tickets over the counter (well almost)

World Cup Ticketing Centers

World Cup ticketing centres in each of the nine host cities will also open and start the over-the-counter sales of tickets.

It's official, Waka Waka by Shakira is the official 2010 World Cup Song.

Well I'm a bit confused, I thought K'naan's Waving the Flag was the song. Waka Waka is co-written and performed by Shakira and I believe that Wake Waka means (This Time for Africa).

And although she is backed by South African band Freshlyground, it is just weird for me that the song for the 2010 World Cup South Africa should be sung by a Colombian Woman.

Steven Pienaar, South Africa and Everton Midfielder discusses what it is going to be like for him to perform in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup in just over a month.

Bafana Bafana will be playing four international friendlies before the first match of the World Cup against Mexico on 11 June, to get the team into shape. They kick off with a match against Thailand on 16 May.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has reached an agreement with the Thailand Football Federation to play an international friendly match.

Today it is exactly 30 days before the 2010 World Cup kicks off. With Fabio Capello just having announced his provisional England squad and with teams already arriving in South Africa, there is bound to be a build of of people who are going to make last minute decisions.

I can tell you that yesterday it was 29C in Durban this is why we are marketing our city as the warmest place during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Have you voted for your 2010 World Cup Song? OK we know about Shakira's Waka Waka one, but the World Cup Songs we are talking about here, are the original songs that fans write for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and place on YouTube.

I had a quick look at the Top 20 World Cup Songs There are three South African songs in the top twenty, so get there and vote.

Well there you have it. Thailand coach, Bryan Robson is sort-of blaming the deafening noise of vuvuzelas for his team's poor performance at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday. Bafana Bafana Beat Thailand 4-0.

Fifa Ranking

Thailand is 105 on the Fifa World Ranking (South Africa is 90).

Argentina coach Diego Maradona named his final 23-man squad for the World Cup on Wednesday, which includes Lionel Messi of Barcelona, Carlos Tevez of Manchester City and most of the country's other big stars.

The big surprise was the inclusion of defender Ariel Garce, who played his first international match for Argentina earlier this month against Haiti.

World Cup Mania is building up as we lead up to the biggest sporting spectacular in the world. It is only a couple of weeks before South Africa and Mexico face each other at Soccer city in Johannesburg and the referee blows the whistle for the 2010 World Cup South Africa to begin.

The Kia Experience is a competition where on South African blogger will have the opportunity to experience the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa with 12 Global bloggers.

This is the last chance for one South African Blogger to enjoy an opportunity of a lifetime. Entries Close at 12 midnight today, so hurry and get yourself over to the Kia South Africa Facebook Fan Page and complete The Kia Experience quiz to enter the competition.

2010World Cup Match Schedule - iPhone Application

Mobile connectivity is going to be essential in South African during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup and every friend of mine with an iPhone is talking about the best World Cup iPhone Apps.

For football bans who cannot make it to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, there is a bit of comfort – HD TV on Sky in the UK and a whole lot of iPhone apps to download.

Tomorrow at 9 am (Friday 27 May) we will celebrate a Football Friday like no other when around 90 000 additional World Cup tickets go on sale to the public.

All Current Sales Channels

These World Cup tickets will be on sale tomorrow across all 64 matches, including the Final, the Opening Game and the two Semi-Finals.

Ok this might sound a bit weird, but it could also be cool like sweet and sour, you know so why don't you write haiku for the 2010 World Cup?

Most people don't really think of soccer an poetry in the same thought cloud, but the Football Haiku World Project says:

"we want to publish beautiful poetry written by you to accompany the beautiful game.

Germany coach Joachim Loew has selected 25-year-old Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm as captain of the World Cup team. Bastian Schweinsteiger will be the vice captain

Philipp Lahm( the youngest captain of the German squad) takes the place of Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack, who will miss the tournament in South Africa because of an ankle injury but he will accompany his teammates in South Africa.

Bafana Bafana vs Colombia turned out to be an all-penalty affair as the home team pulled off a 2-1 win at a packed Soccer City on Thursday night.

Teko Modise and Katlego Mphela netted from the spot to keep South Africa's World Cup preparations on track, cancelling out Giovanni Andrés Moreno's converted penalty.

Bafana Bafana vs Guatemala – this is the penultimate in international friendly in the South African National team's 2010 World Cup build-up campaign. Kickoff is tonight at 8.30 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

South Africa have looked solid in the past week, drawing 1-1 against Bulgaria on Monday before beating Colombia 2-1 on Thursday.

Bafana Bafana Celebrate Goal in Polokwane.

Bafana Bafana vs Guatemala turned in to a triumph last night in Polokwane for the home team when record were broken Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena wore a special jersey to celebrate his 100th cap as the Boyz slotted five goals into the net.

Wow, all the Bafana Bafana vs Denmark tickets are already sold out! This final international friendly in the South African National Team's World Cup Campaign will take place on Saturday at the Super Stadium (Lucas "Masterpieces" Moripe Stadium) in Tshwane.

Kick off is at 14h15.

Casey Monteiro, Part of the Kia Experience and Zakumi

A while ago I mentioned that Kia were looking for a South African blogger to join a group of 12 global bloggers from 26 June 10 to stay in the Rosebank Hotel, attend a 2010 FIFA World Cup game and spend the day test driving the cool new Kia Sportage in the Magaliesberg.

Bafana Bafana Head Coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira has called on fans to be loud and proud and blow their vuvuzelas at Bafana matches. He even likens the vuvuzela to Bafana's 12th man.

Vuvuzelas and Rugby at Orlando Stadium

For those who do not yet know what a vuvuzela is, well they haven't watched a South African soccer match.

With just over a week to go to kickoff, all I want to know is: Is your car naked? Do you have mirror socks? In keeping with the World Cup vibe, every self-respecting patriotic South African should have his side mirrors clad in the colors of our beautiful flag.

(I suppose one should exclude esCapeTown from this, as they live there in DA land and don't seem to have the feeling- but maybe there are a few Capetonians who understand the meaning of Ke Nako!

Katlego Killer Mphela

Bafana Bafana vs Denmark today. The two sides meet in Atteridgeville today in what will be the last chance for the coaches of both sides Carlos Alberto Parreira and Morten Olsen to experiment ahead of next week's kick-off.

After yesterday's injuries to both Rio Ferdinand and Didier Drogba both Bafana Bafana and Denmark will have to walk the fine line between playing a hard game and not getting themselves injured.

Didier Drogba Injured

Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand were taken out of the 2010 World Cup yesterday because of injuries. They are only two of the top players who will be missing this years finals is this a World Cup Curse?

The 2010 World Cup kicks off in one week at Soccer City with a match between hosts South Africa and Mexico.