2010 FIFA Men's World Cup • June 11 - July 11

South Africa 2010

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was the first time the tournament was hosted on the African continent, representing a significant moment in the history of international football. The competition was characterized by the jubilant sounds of vuvuzelas, which became a symbol of South African football culture. Spain, known for their possession-based 'tiki-taka' playing style, won their first World Cup, with a team that reached the zenith of international football under the guidance of coach Vicente del Bosque. The tournament was also notable for the performances of teams such as Uruguay, who reached the semi-finals, and Ghana, who came tantalizingly close to being the first African team to reach the last four. The event was not without controversy, including debates over the altitude of certain venues and the accuracy of match officiating, leading to calls for the introduction of goal-line technology.

Winners and awards

Winner
Runner-up
Third place

Golden Ball (best player)
Diego Forlán
Silver Ball
Wesley Sneijder
Bronze Ball
David Villa
Golden Boot (top scorer)
Thomas Müller
Silver Boot
David Villa
Golden Glove (best keeper)
Iker Casillas
Best Young Player
Thomas Müller

Top scorers

Diego Forlán (5)
Wesley Sneijder (5)
David Villa (5)
Thomas Müller (5)
Gonzalo Higuaín (4)
Miroslav Klose (4)
Róbert Vittek (4)
Luís Fabiano (3)
Asamoah Gyan (3)
Luis Suárez (3)

Stadiums

Free State Stadium
Bloemfontein, South Africa • 41000
Cape Town Stadium
Cape Town, South Africa • 64000
Moses Mabhida Stadium
Durban, South Africa • 63000
Ellis Park Stadium
Johannesburg, South Africa • 56000
Soccer City
Johannesburg, South Africa • 84000
Mbombela Stadium
Nelspruit, South Africa • 41000
Peter Mokaba Stadium
Polokwane, South Africa • 42000
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Port Elizabeth, South Africa • 42000
Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Pretoria, South Africa • 43000
Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Rustenburg, South Africa • 42000

The World Cup Archives is a project by Pablo Román published under a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license

Database sourced from The Fjelstul World Cup Database © 2023 Joshua C. Fjelstul, Ph.D.

Source code available in Github