Algeria
Nickname: Desert Foxes
Fifa Ranking: 28, CAF Ranking: 4, Titles: 0. Not many gave Algeria a chance of coming to South Africa. They needed a play-off against fellow North Africans and African champions Egypt to seal a memorable 1-0 victory which booked them a place in the finals for the first time since 1986.
Argentina
Nickname: Albiceleste
Fifa Ranking: 8, Titles: 2. It was not easy for Diego Maradona’s team, as they booked their place in South Africa only in the last game of the qualifiers. Maradona will be pinning his hopes on Lionel Messi to help to add to the two World Cup titles they have already won.

Australia
Nickname: Socceroos
Fifa Ranking: 21, Titles: 0. This will be their second participation in the finals after finishing to of the Asian Football Confederation. They will be best remembered for their brave second-round finish in Germany, when they came through a group consisting of Brazil, Croatia and Japan.

Brazil
Nickname: Selecao
Fifa Ranking: 2, Titles: 5. After winning the Confederations Cup here in June, the five-times world champions will be hoping for a repeat during next year’s World Cup. Brazil have never failed to qualify for the World Cup, and under Carlos Dunga the team seem to be on the right track.

Cameroon
Nickname: Indomitable Lions
Fifa Ranking: 11, CAF Ranking: 1, Titles: 0. After failing to qualify for the previous tournament in Germany, Cameroon bounced back this time to make sure of qualification for the 2010 event - their sixth at the finals. Bust they are best remembered for their 1990 exploits in Italy, where they became the first African country to reach the quarterfinals.

 Chile
Nickname: La Roja
Fifa Ranking: 17, Titles: 0. After failing to qualify for the previous two World Cups in Germany and South Korea/Japan, Chile finished second behind Brazil in the qualifiers. They lost in the second round of the 1998 event in France. On their last visit to South Africa they convincingly beat Bafana Bafana and will be hoping for another good outing here next year.

Denmark
Nickname: Danish Dynamite
Fifa Ranking: 26, Titles: 0. Denmark defied the odds when they topped a group consisting of Portugal and Sweden to qualify for their fourth World Cup. They did not take part in the Germany tournament, but should be favourites to advance to the second round of the tournament after coming through the difficult group.

England
Nickname: Three Lions
Fifa Ranking: 9, Titles: 1. The arrival of Fabio Capello has revived England to the extent that they believe they can win the World Cup. They were knocked out in the quarterfinals in Germany but believe they have a good chance of rewriting the history books next year.

France
Nickname: Les Bleus
Fifa Ranking: 7, Titles: 1. The 1998 world champions have had ups and downs recently and needed their controversial victory over Ireland to book a place in the finals. After being knocked out in the first round of the 2002 event, they came back strongly in Germany and were unfortunate to lose to Italy on penalties in the final.

Germany
Nickname: Die Nationalelf
Fifa Ranking: 6, Titles: 3. Winning eight out of 10 matches ensured Germany a passage to the finals as they finished on 26 points without losing a game. They are regarded as one of the favourites to win the trophy after coming so close in 2002 when they lost to Brazil. Four years later they finished third in front of their supporters.

Ghana
Nickname: Black Stars
Fifa Ranking: 37, CAF Ranking: 6, Titles: 0. They were the first African country to come through the qualifications. Boasting big-name players like Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari, the West African country tasted their first World Cup in Germany, where they reached the second round in their first attempt.

Greece
Nickname: The Pirate Ship
Fifa Ranking: 12, Titles: 0. The 2004 European champions needed a play-off victory over Ukraine to book a place in South Africa. Their previous appearance was back in 1994, when they left without scoring a goal or getting a point.

Holland
Nickname: Oranje
Fifa Ranking: 3, Titles: 0. One of the first countries to book a place in South Africa after a faultless start in the qualification in which they won all their eight qualifying games. One of the favourites to dominate the event.

Honduras
Nickname: Los Catrachos
Fifa Ranking: 38, Titles: 0. They will be making their second appearance at the finals since 1982. They missed the 2002 World Cup by a whisker as they fell short of two points. But this time they finished third, behind the US and Mexico.

Italy
Nickname: The Azzuri
Fifa Ranking: 4, Titles: 4. The world champions are coming to defend the title they won in Germany. After their poor showing in the Confederations Cup in June, however, when they were knocked out in the first round, many believe it would take something extraordinary for Marcelo Lippi’s side to defend its title.

Ivory Coast
Nickname: The Elephants
Fifa Ranking: 16, CAF Ranking: 2, Titles: 0. With the likes of Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast are the favourites to progress further in their second participation in the Cup. They were the runner-up of the African Cup of Nations in 2006 after losing to Egypt on penalties.

Japan
Nickname: Blue Samurai
Fifa Ranking: 43, Titles: 0. Those who watched Japan play South Africa recently would agree that they have gone from strength to strength. They will be appearing in their fourth finals and coach Takeshi Okada's goal is a top-four finish.

Mexico
Nickname: The Tricolor
Fifa Ranking: 15, Title: 0. They have not missed a place in the World Cup since 1990. After a shaky start they regrouped to finish second to the US. They will be relying on the services of Rafael Marquez of Barcelona and Deportivo La Coruna’s Andres Guardado.

New Zealand
Nickname: All Whites
Fifa Ranking: 77, Title: 0. Better known for their cricket and rugby prowess than for their football skill. They finished bottom of the group in the Fifa Confederations Cup in June, with only a point to show for their efforts but still without a goal. They will be hoping for a better outing next year.

Nigeria
Nickname: Super Eagles
Fifa Ranking: 22, CAF Ranking: 3, Titles: 0. It has been 14 years since Nigeria last lifted a trophy and they almost did not make it to next year's finals. Thanks to Tunisia's failure in Mozambique and Obafemi Martins's late strike in Kenya, they erased the disappointment of failing in 2006.

North Korea
Nickname: Chollima
Fifa Ranking: 84, Titles: 0. Their best run yet in the finals was back in 1960 when they reached the last eight. They might not be in the mould of South Korea, but North Korea boast home-grown players. They came through a group consisting of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to finish behind South Korea.

Paraguay
Nickname: Guaranies
Ranking: 30, Titles: 0. One of the first South American countries to qualify for their fourth consecutive World Cup. But their last trip to South Africa was one of their worst outings as they lost 3-0 to Bafana and will want to erase those bad memories.

Portugal
Nickname: Seleccao das Quinas
Fifa Ranking: 5, Titles: 0. After finishing second to Denmark, Carlos Queiroz’s side had to endure the headache of playing Bosnia-Herzogovina in the play-offs. Even without the services of the most expensive player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, they still managed to succeed with a 2-0 aggregate score after two legs. They will be hoping to improve on their semi-final spot in Germany.

Serbia
Nickname: White Eagles
Fifa Ranking: 20, Titles: 0. After a poor showing in Germany where they lost three games, Serbia have been a surprise package, beating former champions France to the top spot in Group 7. They beat Bafana Bafana 3-1 at home in August and will be hoping for another good outing in South Africa next year.

Slovakia
Nickname: Bojovni Jondovci
Fifa Ranking: 34, Titles: 0. They have qualified for their maiden World Cup finals by topping a group consisting of Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

Slovenia
Nickname: None
Fifa Ranking: 33, Titles: 0. Slovenia stunned Russia in the play-offs with a 1-0 home victory to book a place in South Africa. Although the aggregate score was 2-2, Slovenia qualified through the away goal rule. This would be their second qualification after the 2002 edition in which they lost all three of their games.

South Africa
Nickname: Bafana Bafana
Fifa Ranking: 86, CAF Ranking 17, Titles: 0. As the hosts, Bafana qualified automatically. They failed to qualify for the previous tournament in Germany after taking part in both the 2002 and 1998 events. Although not many give them a chance, they showed at the Confederation Cup that they could rise to the occasion.

South Korea
Nickname: Taeguk Warriors
Fifa Ranking: 52, Titles: 0. They are best remembered for reaching the semifinals when they co-hosted in 2002. Under Dutchman Guus Hiddink, South Korea made an impact when they beat the likes of Italy and Spain. They failed dismally in Germany, however, when they could not proceed to the second round. In this, their seventh appearance, they will be hoping for an improved performance.

Spain
Nickname: La Roja
Fifa Ranking: 1, Titles: 0. The reigning European champions have been a revelation of late after winning the title last year, ending a 44-year wait. After promising so much yet achieving so little, Spain have come out firing and bookies have installed them as the favourites to lift the title. They will be out to avenge their second-round exit in 2006.

Switzerland
Nickname: Schweizer Nati
Fifa Ranking: 18, Titles: 0. Next year’s World Cup will be their ninth appearance in the finals. After failing to qualify for France in 1998 and for the 2002 edition, they bounced back to finish in the last 16 in Germany.

USA
Nickname: The Yanks
Ranking:14, Titles: 0. Not known as a major football nation, the US national team has, however, been a permanent feature at World Cup finals. Their best performance yet came in the 2002 World Cup, when they lost in the quarterfinals and had a dismal performance in Germany four years later. They were unlucky to lose to Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup in June after leading 2-0 before a dramatic fight-back by the eventual champions.

Uruguay
Nickname: Celeste or Chaurruas
Ranking: 19, Titles: 2. The two-time World Cup winners were the last to qualify for next year’s event after edging out Costa Rica in the play-offs. They would be best remembered for their three-goal, second-half comeback against Senegal in the 2002 South Korea/Japan World Cup.

Citypress

World Cup 2010 Betting Odds

Brazil and Euro 2008 champions Spain top the 2010 World Cup winner ante post betting market in South Africa and it is difficult to look past them. The FIFA World Cup could well be one of the biggest betting events ever so we have the list of contenders right here for you to study. Should you wish to place a World Cup winner bet then simply click on the best price shown right here in this odds comparison chart and this will take you straight though to the online bookmaker offering this price where all you need to do is to set up your account and place your bet. England's odds were slashed by the bookmakers after the World Cup draw and are now second favourites behind Spain with some firms.

World Cup Odds | Bookmakers Betting for the Football WorldCup in South Africa | Draw