Untitled Document
 The
whole world is into soccer
these days. I’m sure many
of you are also enjoying the 2010 World Cup matches. But how much do
you know about this year’s World Cup? Do you know the name of the
mascot? Do you know the name
of the official soccer ball? Keep reading and learn about the 2010
World Cup!
The 2010 World Cup is being held in South Africa from June 11 to July
12. It is the first World Cup to be held in the African continent. A total of 32 countries participated
in the matches. In Europe, 13 countries made it to the list including Germany, Italy,
Spain, Portugal, France, and England.
In Asia, only 3 countries participated in the matches: South Korea,
North Korea, and Japan. In Africa, a total of 6 countries participated
including Cameroon, Nigeria, and of course South Africa. As for the North and South
American continents, 8 countries participated including the U.S.,
Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Lastly, Australia and New Zealand
also made it to the finals.
 The
32 countries are divided into 8 groups. A group has 4 countries each. South Korea belongs
to the group B with Argentina, Greece, and Nigeria. In the first match
against Greece, the South Korean team beat the Greek team 2-0.
In the second match against Argentina, we lost 4-1.
The mascot of the 2010 World Cup is “Zakumi.” The name means that the 2010 World
Cup is being held in South Africa. Zakumi is a composition of “ZA,” which
means South Africa and “kumi,” which translates into “10” in various languages across
Africa. Zakumi symbolizes South Africa and
the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, and kindness. He is a friendly, brave, and playful leopard with green hair.
The name of the 2010 World Cup’s ball is “Jabulani.” The name means
“to celebrate” in Zulu, the most
widely spoken language in
South Africa with about 10 million speakers. Jabulani was made by
Adidas. It is the 11th edition of the FIFA World
Cup balls. The ball contains 11 colors: the colors
represent the number of the players in each team, the 11 languages
in South Africa, and the 11th FIFA World Cup ball. |
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