The game lets football fans experience all the emotion and passion of the world’s fiercest national rivalries as they live the dream of competing against friends from around the world for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Presented in true-to-life detail, the gaming title features all 199 national teams that took part in qualification and all 10 official licensed stadiums to be showcased in South Africa. Fans can experience confetti cannons, streamers, giant banners, seat cards, flags and fireworks as if they are in South Africa.
For the first time ever, fans can play out the 2010 FIFA World Cup in a full and authentic online tournament mode, allowing them to compete as a country they want to represent and by playing online, they earn points for their team. As the World Cup unfolds, teams will move up the brackets leading to July 12th where one team will be declared winner of the Battle of Nations.
But some players will accept nothing less than to single handedly lead their nations to the World Cup. Those individuals can come out on the pitch and wear the shirts of their national teams in the game’s Captain Your Country feature. Gamers compete against friends to win a place in the full team, earn the captaincy and then lead their nations in South Africa. Players can experience the thrill of scoring the winning goal in the FIFA World Cup Final, celebrate it with more than a dozen new user-controlled celebrations and then lift the championship trophy.
One of the more interactive game features is the new analogue penalty kick feature that simulates the elation and agony of a penalty shootout. Players can outwit the goalkeeper with a stutter shot and compose their nerves to score the goal that could win the FIFA World Cup. For those fans that aren’t regular gamers, EA has made it easy to be a part of the World Cup action. Casual football fans can step away from complex gaming controllers and compete for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with an accessible control scheme designed for new gamers. It’s possible to pass and shoot like the best using only two buttons! Two button control works by having one button pass and the other shoot. There’s nothing tough about it. But diehard fans shouldn’t freak out. All the expert settings and control schemes are still there for hardcore gamers.
To honor the legacy of the FIFA World Cup, EA SPORTS has put together its Classic 11 team that features 35 legendary players from past tournaments, including star striker Roger Milla of Cameroon, who scored four goals in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and in 1994, at the age of 42, became the oldest player to play in the tournament. Fans who carry the hopes and dreams of a nation into battle against fans from rival countries and win the 2010 FIFA World Cup will unlock the Classic 11 squad.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup title is available for the PlayStation3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, iPod touch and iPhone. Visit www.FIFA-WORLD-CUP.EASPORTS.COM for more information about game features on each available platform.
While the new EA title is amusing, these days lots of families are on a tight budget and can’t justify spending hundreds of riyals for a football game. So consider these free activities that will still bring home World Cup excitement. Activity Village is inviting young football fans to click to and join in World Cup for Kids. There are World Cup worksheets, a World Cup Trivia Challenge and coloring pages.
FIFA, the organization behind the World Cup, has developed an amazing website at www.fifa.com/worldcup with loads of activities for fans of every age. Register for a FIFA.com account to become a part of the global World Cup party. A FIFA account allows fans to comment on news articles, play games and participate in discussions with other fans during live match coverage of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Even without a free account, fans can watch match video, view amazing photographs and follow all the football news.
The World Cup is being held in Africa for the first time but most fans don’t know much about the venue — the nation of South Africa. With the support of Nelson Mandela, Action for Southern Africa has put together an “Activities Pack” that offers fun ways for football fans to learn more about this diverse nation. Download it from:

While many World Cup activities have moved into digital formats, the game itself is still played in brick and mortar stadiums, filled with real people. There are no avatars winning the World Cup matches. So take some World Cup activities away from the computer by offering young fans “The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Activity Book,” by Bronagh Woods. The book is packed with puzzles to solve, games to play and pictures to color. There are loads of stickers to place throughout the book too. Officially endorsed by FIFA, illustrated with 75 color images and introduced by Zakumi the leopard, the official 2010 World Cup mascot, the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Activity Book is a wonderful junior companion to the World Cup. There’s still time before the tournament to purchase one from . Consider getting the “2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Fact File” and even a “World Cup Wall Chart Calendar” from Amazon.com as well. Make the World Cup more than an event to watch on TV.