But with key players from many teams reportedly suffering from injuries and with the ever-present possibility of magical Cinderella stories sports commentators say anything could happen during the weeks ahead.
The June 11 opener marks the start of what is known as the Group Stage. That's because the 32 teams are divided into eight groups each with four teams.
In the Group Stage, each team plays all of the other teams in their group. A team earns three points for winning a game, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss. At the end of the Group Stage, it is the top two teams from each group a total of 16 teams that advance to elimination matches.
Once they reach the top 16 teams, the points earned during the Group Stage no longer matter. Simply, if a team loses a game once in the round of 16 it is eliminated. The only exception will occur the night before the final, when the two losing semifinalists will play to determine third and fourth place. Then, on July 11, the two finalists meet on the pitch of Johannesburg's new Soccer City stadium, to determine the World Cup champion.
check out 2010 World Cup Soccer betting odds
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