Can an African team win the 2010 World Cup?

[gawd on pitch]

The real question is this:

Can a South American or European team win the World Cup in Africa?

Stats show that Europe has only won the cup when it is in Europe. World cup has been held in 4 continents, Africa the 5th. South America has won it the other times. Africa will be on that list and expect an African team to become the first for Africa.

My ranking for Africa in regards to going the furthest in the cup is this:

Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa and Algeria.

[Zeppo]

Tough World Cup draw for African challengers

A heavy dose of reality crashed down upon African hopes of a maiden Fifa World Cup title after Friday's draw pitched the continent's most-fancied teams in challenging groups.

In the build-up to the Cape Town draw, where locals flooded the city centre for the most colourful of street parties, most of the talk centred upon Ghana and Ivory Coast spearheading Africa's unlikely quest.

But now the tables have turned after the Black Stars landed in among Germany, Australia and Serbia (Group D) while the Ivorians face Brazil, Portugal and North Korea (Group G). 

(continue)

[Mango Chow!]

The real question is this:

Can a South American or European team win the World Cup in Africa?

Stats show that Europe has only won the cup when it is in Europe. World cup has been held in 4 continents, Africa the 5th. South America has won it the other times. Africa will be on that list and expect an African team to become the first for Africa.

My ranking for Africa in regards to going the furthest in the cup is this:

Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa and Algeria.

  Yuh could fine-tune dat to say dat BRAZIL..........is the only nation ot have won the cup on every continent it has been played on......I looking fuh dem to maintain dat record on Africa's maiden hosting.

[Mango Chow!]

I find it amazing that anybody could want to give Nigeria the supreme title of being the biggest World Cup busts in the last 20 years (or any time span, for that matter) when it have teams like Spain, Holland and France (YES, FRANCE!  Winning one WC where they were practically ushered in @ home doh make up for their other failings, including failure to even qualify in usa '90)....then again....I guess I should consider the source.



                          **********and lest we forget....there's always Portugal**********

Given that only 7 countries have ever won the FIFA Wrld Cup...Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Germany, France & England it's a travesty to say that a country like Holland with a population of 16 million is a "bust" as opposed to Spain with 42 million people and France with 63 million and Nigeria with 151 million people

Countries like Uruguay & Holland overachieve in world football given their relatively small population base.

Of course, population alone doesn't count for performance in World Cup football or else China & India would have been super powers in the game.  But to say Holland is a bust is highly misleading and inaccurate in my opinion.  They consistently punch above their weight in my opinion.

      Palos, allyuh men does get caught up in this population theory too much for the sake of arguing.  None of you that like to talk about "population" can ever offer a sound and logical explanation of how and why population size, whether directly, or indirectly and on what scale, really affects the progress and/or success of any nation......in football or ANY sport. I have asked the question time and time and time again: when has the usa ever produced a player the likes of Dwight Yorke or Russell Latapy?  Their population is 300X ours.  Now...they have produced a good few Shaka Hislops....but  never an outfield player (and some can argue that it is much, much easier to make a good GK than a good outfield player)
  Football being a microcosm of society benefits or suffers from the advancements and sophistication of that particular society, hence why I don't place the same expectations on any African team as I would on (largely) European teams that have been living, breathing and re-inventing the game when African teams were barely learning it's nuances....not to mention, European teams could always absorb the best players from their respective colonies.  But, going back to Holland...or "The Netherlands" wit dey dutty Red Light District, whichever you prefer to call them...wasn't Holland home of one of the world's most respected systems of football development for a long time?  Did they not lose back to back World Cup finals to respective host nations?  Now, after reaching that level of sophistication, as far as their game's development is concerned, and performing so well in '74 and '78 AND being known as they were for producing some of the world's most polished players, shouldn't there have been greater World Cup expectations placed on them than the results they have given us so far?  All things being equal, I have no doubt that many an African nation would and should be given the same expectations for success as other perennial super powers of the game.  But we really eh reach there yet. Things are FAR from equal, even in this day and age and if one is going to have to call any one country or another "the biggest World Cup chokers" There are many a team from across Europe and maybe even South and Central America that can be labeled as such before any African name hadda call.               

[weary1969]

The real question is this:

Can a South American or European team win the World Cup in Africa?

Stats show that Europe has only won the cup when it is in Europe. World cup has been held in 4 continents, Africa the 5th. South America has won it the other times. Africa will be on that list and expect an African team to become the first for Africa.

My ranking for Africa in regards to going the furthest in the cup is this:

Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa and Algeria.

  Yuh could fine-tune dat to say dat BRAZIL..........is the only nation ot have won the cup on every continent it has been played on......I looking fuh dem to maintain dat record on Africa's maiden hosting.

COSIGNNNNNN

[Zeppo]

Why not an African WCup winner?

Abdullah makes his living as a tour guide on Lamu Island, a palm-tree paradise in the Indian Ocean, just off the coast from the heaving port city of Mombassa. Short and bearing a wild, rheumy eye, he's as mellow as a beach bum. But mention soccer, and Abdullah becomes as excited as a kid on a sugar high.

The sport came up while touring Lamutown, the island's administrative seat, a few days ago. I saw the Liverpool FC Barber Shop, complete with the club's shield on its dangling shingle, and I wanted a photo of it.

"You are a football fan?" he asked. "The Americans have a very good team. They beat the Spaniards."

Abdullah started listing American players, deciding that "the one at Everton" -- goalkeeper Tim Howard -- was the best one and that "Dempsey at Fulham" -- pronounced by Abdullah as "Fool-hamm" -- was good, too.

(continue)

[just cool]

DEFENCE

DF Emmanuel Eboué June 4, 1983 (1983-06-04) (age 26) 24 0  Arsenal
DF Arthur Boka April 2, 1983 (1983-04-02) (age 26) 33 1  Stuttgart
DF Guy Demel June 13, 1981 (1981-06-13) (age 28) 9 0  Hamburg
DF Igor Lolo July 22, 1982 (1982-07-22) (age 27) 5 0  Monaco
DF Constant Djakpa October 17, 1986 (1986-10-17) (age 23) 3 0  Hannover
DF Kolo Touré March 19, 1981 (1981-03-19) (age 28) 70 2  Manchester City
DF Abdoulaye Méïté October 6, 1980 (1980-10-06) (age 29) 21 0  West Bromich Albion

MIDFIELD
 
MF Didier Zokora December 14, 1980 (1980-12-14) (age 28) 75 1  Sevilla
MF Yaya Touré May 13, 1983 (1983-05-13) (age 26) 28 4  Barcelona
MF Jean-Jacques Gosso March 15, 1983 (1983-03-15) (age 26)    Monaco
MF Romaric June 4, 1983 (1983-06-04) (age 26) 11 2  Sevilla
MF Emerse Faé January 24, 1984 (1984-01-24) (age 25) 17 1  Nice
MF Cheik Tioté June 21, 1986 (1986-06-21) (age 23) 0 0  Twente

ATTACK


FW Gervinho May 27, 1987 (1987-05-27) (age 22) 5 2  Lille
FW Sekou Cissé May 23, 1985 (1985-05-23) (age 24) 4 3  Feyenoord
FW Aruna Dindane November 26, 1980 (1980-11-26) (age 29) 40 14  Portsmouth
FW Abdul-Kader Keïta August 6, 1983 (1983-08-06) (age 26) 46 9  Galatasaray
FW Bakari Koné September 17, 1981 (1981-09-17) (age 28) 35 10  Marseille
FW Salomon Kalou August 15, 1985 (1985-08-15) (age 24) 17 9  Chelsea
FW Didier Drogba March 11, 1978 (1978-03-11) (age 31) 60 41  Chelsea
FW Boubacar Sanogo December 17, 1982 (1982-12-17) (age 26) 12 8  Saint-Étienne
FW Arouna Koné November 11, 1983 (1983-11-11) (age 26) 27 9  Sevilla

I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT THIS GROUP OF PLAYERS CAN COMPETE WITH ANY TEAM IN DE WORLD.

IVORY COAST FOR DE SEMIS

ah love it!!

I thought he was from togo?