South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
South Africa Best finish/highlights: Having played in only two previous World Cups (1998, 2002), this year's hosts have practically no résumé; the country was only readmitted to FIFA and CAF less than two decades ago.
Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
Argentina Best finish/highlights: Two wins, in 1976 and 1986, are far fewer than this team deserves. Coach Diego Maradona's brilliant ball-handling in beating four English defenders and the keeper to follow up the "Hand of God" goal with the "Goal of the Century" in '86 easily comprises the top 10 seconds in Argentine history.
England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia
England Best finish/highlights: Winning the 1966 trophy stopped Pélé-led Brazil (although the star was injured during the tournament) from posting a three-peat which would have become a four-peat after Brazil also won the 1970 tournament.
Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Germany Best finish/highlights: They've won three, so there's plenty to draw from, but beating four-year undefeated Hungary in 1954 probably tops it all.
Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Netherlands Best Finish/Highlights: Back-to-back final appearances in 1974 and 1978, losing to West Germany and Argentina, respectively. Strengths: The Dutch will not top any rankings in any aspect of the game. They are not the fastest, strongest, most intelligent, or have the toughest defense.
Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Italy Best Finish/Highlights: Four-time champions (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006); Runners-up (1970, 1994); Third place (1990) Strengths: They are Italy. Seeing their team sheet alone can prove to be a psychological blow to any team. They have a lot of veterans who want a repeat of 2006.
Group of Death: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Brazil Best Finish/Highlights: Five-time champions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002); Twice Runners-up (1950, 1998), Third place twice (1938, 1978) Strength: Brazil will always be one of the favorites for the World Cup. The country is almost synonymous to football and for good reason.
Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
Spain Best Finish/Highlights: Fourth place (1950), Quarter Final (1934, 1986, 1994, 2002) Strengths: Spain are coming off possibly their biggest run in recent history. They won the 2008 European Championships and went on a world record 35-match unbeaten run before losing to an inspired United States squad in the Confederations Cup (fluke).
Left Side of Bracket
Second Round Mexico v. South Korea This will be short and simple; Mexico has several stars, young and old, whereas South Korea has less than a handful. The only thing that will keep it close is South Korea's work ethic. Mexico often play lazy at points and if South Korea manages to recognize each period early enough, they will put El Tri in a hole quickly.
Right side of Bracket
Second Round Argentina v. France France have been extremely fortunate to even qualify for the World Cup, and now they find themselves in the knock-out stages. They meet a very tough opponent in Argentina, and the French's luck should run out here.
South Africa Championship Game
Spain v. England England were the darling pick in late 2009 before injuries hit, and now have flown a bit under the radar. Making the final will be viewed as a huge accomplishment by all but the team and Fabio Capello himself. England haven't had the best record in international play over the years, but the only country with one better on that side of the bracket are Brazil, and their road is much harder.
The best XI performers in the 2010 World Cup, based on The Ram's predictions: GK: Gianluigi Buffon SW: Lucio RB: Sergio Ramos CB: Carles Puyol LB: Ashley Cole RM: Bastian Schweinstager CM: Xavi Hernandez, Kaká LM: Steven Gerrard S
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