After a long long trip we arrived in Johannesburg, only to go directly to the opening match between the host and Mexico.
Today, Argentina vs Nigeria.
This is incredible. Driving stick on the other side of the road is a blast. Internet is spotty so updates will be to.
On the way to the World Cup we stumbled upon Egypt and were able to do a little touristing. Very nice. Now I am at two days of no sleep and no showers, and I walked all day around the desert at 38 degrees. I ate a lot of hummus. I have a nine hour flight ahead of me. I stink. This should be fun (for the guy sitting next to me). More as it develops…
Loooong layover at JFK. G-d bless my iToys.
The adventure begins. Carrying those sombreros is going to be a major pain the ass.
I had a dream not long ago that went exactly like this. Thanks to Karina Merino for the link.
I need your help! I have now gone through the box of stickers that Corona brought me from Mexico. I have a few repeats but still many missing – 214 to be precise.
If you are collecting the album and can help out, if you want to trade, if you know where to buy the stickers in Austin… please post in the comments. This is my list. It will stay updated as I collect more stickers. The list itself is generated by a simple PHP script that I wrote. If you want the script just let me know!
This is the official song for the upcoming World Cup, titled “Waka Waka”. It’s not a joke, and it’s not performed by Fozzie Bear. It’s sung by Colombian hottie Shakira. On the video you can see Osvaldo Sánchez, Omar Bravo, David Beckham, and some other players that are not attending the World Cup. This is appropriate, because Colombia is not attending either.
The song didn’t quite do it for me. When I want to get into World Cup mood, this is what I listen to. And this. And this. And this. Wow, now I am in World Cup mood. I wonder if I can still find tickets…
Scary post from futbol y más regarding the history of World Cups and the host nation. As you know, the opening match of the FIFA World Cup is Mexico vs. host South Africa. As the table below shows, the host nation has never lost their first match, and they have always qualified to the second round. If this holds true for the 2010 edition, this means that Mexico will not win their first game and since only two of four teams qualify, they’d be fighting for that other spot against France and Uruguay.
| Year | Host | 1st match win? | 2nd round? | # won | # tied | # lost | Group rank |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Yes | Yes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934 | Italy | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| 1938 | France | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| 1950 | Brazil | Yes | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Yes | Yes | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1958 | Sweden | Yes | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962 | Chile | Yes | Yes | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1966 | England | Draw | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1970 | Mexico | Draw | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1974 | W. Germany | Yes | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978 | Argentina | Yes | Yes | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1982 | Spain | Yes | Yes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1986 | Mexico | Yes | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990 | Italy | Yes | Yes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994 | U.S.A. | Draw | Yes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1998 | France | Yes | Yes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | Korea | Yes | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | Japan | Yes | Yes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 | Germany | Yes | Yes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
In order to be at their best possible level, several soccer stars all over the world are transferring to different clubs ahead of the World Cup:
Oy.