The 2010 FIFA World Cup was an international association football event organized by FIFA and held in South Africa , making it the first time the tournament was hosted by an African nation. The tournament took place across 10 stadiums including Loftus Versfeld Stadium , Ellis Park Stadium , Peter Mokaba Stadium , Royal Bafokeng Stadium , Cape Town Stadium , Mbombela Stadium , Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium , FNB Stadium , Moses Mabhida Stadium , and Free State Stadium .
32 countries participated, including South Africa, Brazil , Spain , Netherlands , Italy , Germany , Argentina , Japan , Australia , Mexico , and the United States . Other teams in the competition were Ghana , Paraguay , South Korea , Chile , Uruguay , Denmark , North Korea , Honduras , Nigeria , Algeria , New Zealand , Cameroon , Ivory Coast , France , Greece , Portugal , Serbia , Slovakia , Slovenia , and Switzerland .
Some of the award recipients during the 2010 FIFA World Cup included Pedro (footballer, born 1978) and Víctor Valdés .
