The 2010 FIFA World Cup opened last Friday in South Africa, after years of preparation, with an Opening Ceremony at Soccer City Stadium - the first matches taking place over the weekend. Thousands attended the opening concerts and matches in person, while tens of millions watched events unfold on screens large and small across the world. Collected here are some scenes from the opening ceremonies, the first several matches, and fans young and old around the world riding emotional rollercoasters while watching the 2010 World Cup.
1. A man watches the opening match of the 2010 World Cup between South Africa and Mexico in Bloemfontein June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Jorge Silva)
2. A South African flag incorporating the flags of each nation at the tournament is waved at the Opening Ceremony ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Group A match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City Stadium on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)
3. South African air force aerobatic planes fly by on June 11, 2010 during the FIFA WC2010 opening ceremony at Soccer city stadium in Soweto. (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images)
4. A drummer performs during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
5. A performer in the 2010 World Cup opening ceremony in Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/David Gray)
6. A South African dancer smiles during the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on June 11, 2010 in Soweto, South Africa. (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images)
7. South African dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on June 11, 2010 in Soweto. (PIERRE PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images)
8. Photographers are led onto the field before the 2010 World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/David Gray)
9. A fan blows a vuvuzela during the Group A first round 2010 World Cup football match South Africa vs. Mexico on June 11, 2010 in Soweto. (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
10. Giorgio Rovida, an Italian motorbike engineer, watches the opening game of the 2010 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa in his Milan workshop on June 11, 2010. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images)
11. South Africa's midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala (center) runs with the ball to score the opening goal during their Group A first round 2010 World Cup match on June 11, 2010. (OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)
12. Mexico's goalkeeper Oscar Perez fails to catch the shot by South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala on June 11, 2010. (OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)
13. A man celebrates Mexico's goal as he watches the 2010 World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa on a large TV screen in Zocalo Square, downtown Mexico City June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Eliana Aponte)
14. South Africa's goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune watches the action at the other end of the pitch during their Group A first round World Cup match on June 11, 2010 at Soccer City stadium. (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
15. Prisoners watch the World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico in Mexico City's Reclusorio Sur prison June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar)
16. People gather around a television to watch the opening game of the soccer World Cup at the Tembisa neighborhood in the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
17. A Chinese couple watches a live broadcast of the World Cup soccer match between South Africa and Mexico, outside a grocery store in a hutong of Beijing, China, Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
18. Photographers take pictures during the Group A first round 2010 World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico on June 11, 2010. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)
19. South African residents of the Vrededorp neighborhood react to a save by South Africa as they watch the opening match of the World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
20. Schoolchildren watch the World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico in San Jose, Costa Rica on June 11, 2010. Costa Rica's Education Minister Leonardo Garnier authorised all schools across the country to have a television in their classrooms to watch the World Cup matches. (REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate )
21. A young supporter waves Spanish flags before the welcome ceremony for Spain's national football team on June 11, 2010 in North West University Sports Village on the opening day of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)
22. South Korean soccer fans cheer for the South Korean World Cup soccer team as they watch a live TV broadcast of the 2010 World Cup Group B soccer match against Greece in Port Elizabeth, at Seoul City Hall Plaza June 12, 2010.(REUTERS/Lee Chung-Woo)#
23. Uruguay's striker Diego Forlan (right) tries to head the ball with France's defender William Gallas during their Group A first round World Cup football match on June 11, 2010 at Green Point stadium in Cape Town. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images)
24. Uruguay's Diego Lugano, center, and France's Jeremy Toulalan, second from right, argue as referee Yuichi Nishimura of Japan, second from left, and France's Sidney Govou, right, intervene during the World Cup group A soccer match between Uruguay and France in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
25. France's Patrice Evra, left, goes for the ball as Uruguay's Mauricio Victorino, bottom right, falls during the World Cup group A soccer match between Uruguay and France in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
26. U.S. and British troops watch the World Cup soccer match from South Africa between the U.S. and England in Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan June 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Corporal Gary Kendall RLC/MoD/Crown Copyright)
27. Police restrain fighting fans as supporters of the England football team watch National Team's opening world Cup soccer match, against the U.S., at a Fan zone in the Castlefield area of Manchester, England, Saturday June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
28. England's goalkeeper Robert Green reacts after he allowed a goal by the U.S. during a 2010 World Cup Group C soccer match at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg June 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Darren Staples)
29. U.S. players celebrate after midfielder Clint Dempsey (right) scored a goal against England during their 2010 World Cup group C first round football match on June 12, 2010 at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
30. American fans cheer as they watch through a giant screen the World Cup group C soccer match between England and the United States, at Durban beach, South Africa, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
31. Tunisian and Algerian fans react as they watch the Algeria vs Slovenia football FIFA world cup match on television, on June 13, 2010 in the cafe bar in Tunis. (FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images)
32. A man reacts as he watches the World Cup 2010 soccer match between Argentina and Nigeria In Port-au-Prince, haiti on Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
33. Argentina's Jonas Gutierrez (right) battles for the ball with Nigeria's Chinedu Obasi during the World Cup Group B soccer match at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg June 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Jerry Lampen)
34. Roadside mechanics and their clients watch Nigeria take on Argentina during the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa on a battery powered television in Lagos, Nigeria on June 12, 2010. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
35. Argentinian soccer fans watch a World Cup match between Argentina and Nigeria at a market in Tucuman, Argentina, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
36. Argentina's Gabriel Heinze (left) runs in celebration towards the bench after scoring the first goal during the World Cup group B soccer match between Argentina and Nigeria at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
37. A football fan reacts as Nigeria misses a goal at a public viewing center in Lagos, Nigeria during the World Cup match between Nigeria and Argentina in South Africa, on June 12, 2010. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
38. Supporters of Germany's football team watch the match against Australia on a giant screen during the public viewing event in the northern German city of Hamburg on June 13, 2010. (FABIAN BIMMER/AFP/Getty Images)
39. Lukas Podolski of Germany celebrates scoring the first goal during the World Cup South Africa Group D match between Germany and Australia at Durban Stadium on June 13, 2010 in Durban, South Africa. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
40. Palestinians and foreigners watch the World Cup game between Germany and Australia projected onto a screen on the separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday June 13, 2010. The wall that separates this biblical town in the West Bank from nearby Jerusalem has recently been bringing an international crowd together to watch the World Cup games. Every night, local restaurant owner and avid soccer fan Joseph Hasboun has been projecting games of the World Cup onto the wall facing his eatery, the Bahamas Sea Food Restaurant. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)
41. Wearing 3D glasses, Australian fans watch their team in their South Africa World Cup match against Germany in 3D at a movie theater in Melbourne on June 14, 2010. Germany won the match 4-0. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)
42. A South African fan arrives at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
1. A man watches the opening match of the 2010 World Cup between South Africa and Mexico in Bloemfontein June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Jorge Silva)
2. A South African flag incorporating the flags of each nation at the tournament is waved at the Opening Ceremony ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Group A match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City Stadium on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)
3. South African air force aerobatic planes fly by on June 11, 2010 during the FIFA WC2010 opening ceremony at Soccer city stadium in Soweto. (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images)
4. A drummer performs during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
5. A performer in the 2010 World Cup opening ceremony in Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/David Gray)
6. A South African dancer smiles during the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on June 11, 2010 in Soweto, South Africa. (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images)
7. South African dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on June 11, 2010 in Soweto. (PIERRE PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images)
8. Photographers are led onto the field before the 2010 World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/David Gray)
9. A fan blows a vuvuzela during the Group A first round 2010 World Cup football match South Africa vs. Mexico on June 11, 2010 in Soweto. (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
10. Giorgio Rovida, an Italian motorbike engineer, watches the opening game of the 2010 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa in his Milan workshop on June 11, 2010. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images)
11. South Africa's midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala (center) runs with the ball to score the opening goal during their Group A first round 2010 World Cup match on June 11, 2010. (OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)
12. Mexico's goalkeeper Oscar Perez fails to catch the shot by South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala on June 11, 2010. (OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)
13. A man celebrates Mexico's goal as he watches the 2010 World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa on a large TV screen in Zocalo Square, downtown Mexico City June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Eliana Aponte)
14. South Africa's goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune watches the action at the other end of the pitch during their Group A first round World Cup match on June 11, 2010 at Soccer City stadium. (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
15. Prisoners watch the World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico in Mexico City's Reclusorio Sur prison June 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar)
16. People gather around a television to watch the opening game of the soccer World Cup at the Tembisa neighborhood in the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
17. A Chinese couple watches a live broadcast of the World Cup soccer match between South Africa and Mexico, outside a grocery store in a hutong of Beijing, China, Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
18. Photographers take pictures during the Group A first round 2010 World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico on June 11, 2010. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)
19. South African residents of the Vrededorp neighborhood react to a save by South Africa as they watch the opening match of the World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
20. Schoolchildren watch the World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico in San Jose, Costa Rica on June 11, 2010. Costa Rica's Education Minister Leonardo Garnier authorised all schools across the country to have a television in their classrooms to watch the World Cup matches. (REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate )
21. A young supporter waves Spanish flags before the welcome ceremony for Spain's national football team on June 11, 2010 in North West University Sports Village on the opening day of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)
22. South Korean soccer fans cheer for the South Korean World Cup soccer team as they watch a live TV broadcast of the 2010 World Cup Group B soccer match against Greece in Port Elizabeth, at Seoul City Hall Plaza June 12, 2010.(REUTERS/Lee Chung-Woo)#
23. Uruguay's striker Diego Forlan (right) tries to head the ball with France's defender William Gallas during their Group A first round World Cup football match on June 11, 2010 at Green Point stadium in Cape Town. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images)
24. Uruguay's Diego Lugano, center, and France's Jeremy Toulalan, second from right, argue as referee Yuichi Nishimura of Japan, second from left, and France's Sidney Govou, right, intervene during the World Cup group A soccer match between Uruguay and France in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
25. France's Patrice Evra, left, goes for the ball as Uruguay's Mauricio Victorino, bottom right, falls during the World Cup group A soccer match between Uruguay and France in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, June 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
26. U.S. and British troops watch the World Cup soccer match from South Africa between the U.S. and England in Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan June 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Corporal Gary Kendall RLC/MoD/Crown Copyright)
27. Police restrain fighting fans as supporters of the England football team watch National Team's opening world Cup soccer match, against the U.S., at a Fan zone in the Castlefield area of Manchester, England, Saturday June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
28. England's goalkeeper Robert Green reacts after he allowed a goal by the U.S. during a 2010 World Cup Group C soccer match at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg June 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Darren Staples)
29. U.S. players celebrate after midfielder Clint Dempsey (right) scored a goal against England during their 2010 World Cup group C first round football match on June 12, 2010 at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
30. American fans cheer as they watch through a giant screen the World Cup group C soccer match between England and the United States, at Durban beach, South Africa, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
31. Tunisian and Algerian fans react as they watch the Algeria vs Slovenia football FIFA world cup match on television, on June 13, 2010 in the cafe bar in Tunis. (FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images)
32. A man reacts as he watches the World Cup 2010 soccer match between Argentina and Nigeria In Port-au-Prince, haiti on Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
33. Argentina's Jonas Gutierrez (right) battles for the ball with Nigeria's Chinedu Obasi during the World Cup Group B soccer match at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg June 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Jerry Lampen)
34. Roadside mechanics and their clients watch Nigeria take on Argentina during the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa on a battery powered television in Lagos, Nigeria on June 12, 2010. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
35. Argentinian soccer fans watch a World Cup match between Argentina and Nigeria at a market in Tucuman, Argentina, Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
36. Argentina's Gabriel Heinze (left) runs in celebration towards the bench after scoring the first goal during the World Cup group B soccer match between Argentina and Nigeria at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
37. A football fan reacts as Nigeria misses a goal at a public viewing center in Lagos, Nigeria during the World Cup match between Nigeria and Argentina in South Africa, on June 12, 2010. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
38. Supporters of Germany's football team watch the match against Australia on a giant screen during the public viewing event in the northern German city of Hamburg on June 13, 2010. (FABIAN BIMMER/AFP/Getty Images)
39. Lukas Podolski of Germany celebrates scoring the first goal during the World Cup South Africa Group D match between Germany and Australia at Durban Stadium on June 13, 2010 in Durban, South Africa. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
40. Palestinians and foreigners watch the World Cup game between Germany and Australia projected onto a screen on the separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday June 13, 2010. The wall that separates this biblical town in the West Bank from nearby Jerusalem has recently been bringing an international crowd together to watch the World Cup games. Every night, local restaurant owner and avid soccer fan Joseph Hasboun has been projecting games of the World Cup onto the wall facing his eatery, the Bahamas Sea Food Restaurant. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)
41. Wearing 3D glasses, Australian fans watch their team in their South Africa World Cup match against Germany in 3D at a movie theater in Melbourne on June 14, 2010. Germany won the match 4-0. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)
42. A South African fan arrives at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Posts
