Group A of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 11 June and ended on 22 June 2010. [1] The group consisted of host nation South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay and the runners-up from 2006, France.
France and South Africa previously met at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, when then-hosts France beat South Africa 3–0. They also previously met with Uruguay at the 2002 FIFA World Cup; the match ended in a 0–0 draw. France and Mexico were in the same group at the first ever World Cup in 1930; the two nations played the first-ever World Cup match and France won 4–1. France and Mexico had also met in 1954 but neither team qualified for the next round. This is also the second time that France, Mexico and Uruguay have been drawn in the same group with the host nation. They were grouped with England in 1966, when England and Uruguay advanced to the next round.
South Africa became the first World Cup host team to fail to advance past the group stage after finishing behind Mexico on goal difference. France, despite having made the final at the previous edition of the World Cup, were also eliminated after drawing one and losing two matches, including one against South Africa.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Uruguay | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Mexico | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 |  South Africa (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 4 |  France | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
All times local (UTC+2)
South Africa vs Mexico was the opening match of the World Cup, held on 11 June 2010. [2] It was described as an "enthralling" and "pulsating" match. Mexico put the ball in the net first, but it was offside. South Africa opened the scoring in the 55th minute after Siphiwe Tshabalala scored with a left foot shot to the top right corner of the net from the left of the penalty area after a pass through Mexico's defence by Kagiso Dikgacoi. Mexico's captain Rafael Márquez equalised following a corner kick in the 79th minute with a shot to the right of the net from five yards out on the right. [3] In the final minutes of the match, Katlego Mphela almost scored a winning goal for South Africa, but his shot bounced off the post. [2]
Tshabalala was named as the man of the match. South Africa's coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira called the result "fair", while Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre stated "we could have won, we could have lost". [4]
This opening match will be played again as the opener for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 11 June 2026, exactly 16 years later, with Mexico now hosting South Africa.
| South Africa | 1–1 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
Tshabalala  55' | Report | Márquez 79' |
          South Africa [6] |      Mexico [6] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
France and Uruguay faced each other on 11 June 2010 at the Cape Town Stadium. Despite a red card being given to Uruguay substitute Nicolás Lodeiro in the second half, Uruguay were able to hold a "lacklustre" France to a 0–0 draw. [7] After the match, former World Cup-winning French player Zinedine Zidane criticised the French team and particularly coach Raymond Domenech for a lack of teamwork. [8] Domenech claimed after the match to be "happy with the overall performance". [9]
     Uruguay [10] |      France [10] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Uruguay took the lead in the 24th minute, when Diego Forlán launched a shot from 30 yards out that beat goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who did not attempt to save the shot. [11] In the second half, Luis Suárez was left through on goal, but he was brought down by Khune. Referee Massimo Busacca awarded a penalty and showed Khune a red card. [11] Deep into injury time, Uruguay scored their third goal when Álvaro Pereira tapped in a Suárez cross. [11] This was Uruguay's first World Cup win since 1990.
| South Africa | 0–3 | Uruguay |
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South Africa [12] |      Uruguay [12] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Mexico's 2–0 victory over France in Polokwane (being the first Mexican win against a World Champion's team in a World Cup) was overshadowed by French striker Nicolas Anelka launching a tirade of abuse towards coach Raymond Domenech during the half-time interval. [13] Anelka was subsequently dismissed from the squad, which resulted in many squad members, including captain Patrice Evra, boycotting training in the lead-up to the final group stage match against South Africa. [14]
     France [15] |      Mexico [15] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Mexico [16] | Uruguay [16] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
| France | 1–2 | South Africa |
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| Malouda 70' | Report |
 France [17] | South Africa [17] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
2010 FIFA World Cup finalists | |
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| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Quarter-finals | |
| Round of 16 | |
| Group stage | |
