Cape Town / Herzogenaurach (December 4, 2009) – adidas and FIFA present the adidas "JABULANI," the Official Match Ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The "JABULANI," which means "to celebrate" in isiZulu, features a South African inspired design and radically new technology. The new match ball will be available in stores starting [.

Well, now we know Adidas' Jabulani (Happiness) is the new Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Match Ball and it was carried on to the stage at the Cape Town International Convention Centre last night by South Africa's Oscar winning star, Charlize Theron.

Jabulani 11 Colours

Jabulani has 11 colors honouring each of South Africa's eleven official languages, the 11 match ball, and the 11 players on the field.

It seems to happen every time, no matter how they do the final draw – there always is a group of death. This is when more big-name contenders are placed in a group than there are places in the knockout rounds.

One Group with Many Favourites

We have seen that previous World Cup draws have almost always thrown up at least one section brimming with pre-tournament favourites, and when after the first phase, is over, one or two of them invariably find themselves packing for home.

World Cup 2010 kits have gone high tech. Seriously high tech.

How high tech, you ask?

Well, according to the official Adidas press release:

Through the use of compression fabrics and applied TPU bands in specific areas, TECHFIT is proven to increase a player's power by 5.

The official World Cup 2010 soccer ball from Adidas has been unveiled. Named Jabulani, the ball features a newly developed "Grip'n'Groove" ball technology, which provides an exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions. With only eight, thermally bonded 3-D panels, which are spherically molded for the first time, the ball is perfectly round and more accurate than ever before.

Around 17oo GMT we will start discovering who plays whom in South Africa this summer. The eight groups will choose one country from each pot as below.
Pot 1 (Seeds): South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England

Pot 2 (AFC, OFC & CONCACAF): Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Mexico, Honduras

Pot 3 (CAF & CONMEBOL): Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay

Pot 4 (UEFA): France, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia

With the football world agog and betting firms poised to revise their tips for the tournament, it seems pointless trying to guess which balls will come out of the bag.

The day we have all been waiting for has arrived. The Final Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will take place this evening at 7pm (local time) at the International Convention Center in Cape Town.

Taking place on a huge wooden stage with a typically African backdrop, the Final Draw will be preceded by a ceremony featuring a series of speeches and a dazzling array of live music and dance performances.

The simple but powerful 2010 World Cup poster has a bright yellow background, symbolizing the sun and the warmth of the African continent and its people. The colors of the South African flag: red, green, blue, black, white and yellow are also present in the design.
The image is of a black African heading a soccer ball.

Photo: Getty Images

Was there ever any doubt the Redlands native would win the award announced today yet again? The Galaxy and U.S. National Team playmaker also won in 2003 and 2004.

From the U.S. Soccer press release:

The 27-year old, a former Young Male Athlete of the Year in 2000, played a large part in the USA's qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals and providing nine assists during the Final Round of qualifying.

Today we are all inpatient, once in 4 years we can see this, is an occasion that the fans of the 32 qualifying nations and football lovers in general always look forward to, though the same cannot be said of the national coaches involved. That same blend of anticipation and dread will be in evidence once more on Friday evening when the Final Draw of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

"JABULANI," the Official Match Ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. "JABULANI," means "to celebrate" in isiZulu.

Green Fields of England was written in support of England at the World Cup in 2010. In the lyrics we hoped to capture and celebrate, the pride that an Englishman has for England, its character, and its football team.
This song is for England, not the UK or GB. My late Grandfather did serve in both world wars, and that line is for him.

See what awaits you on a visit to South Africa with a look at our images of South Africa.
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