South Africa, 2010 World Cup | featured news

France coach Laurent Blanc will drop all 23 World Cup players for his first match next month as collective punishment for the team's embarrassing fiasco in South Africa.

At least 23 people have been killed in twin explosions in the Ugandan capital Kampala that targeted World Cup fans, police say.

Excitement built in Johannesburg on Sunday with Dutch and Spanish fans roaming the streets ahead of a mouth-watering climax of Africa's first World Cup between the tournament's two most impressive teams.

South Africa went out with heads high on Tuesday, despite being the only hosts ever to exit the World Cup's first round, but France headed home in shame and Latin American giants Argentina cruised into the second round.

Mexico, which dominated much of the game, drew even in the 79th minute.

The first documented soccer games in Africa were staged in the future World Cup cities of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in 1862.

Of all the South African sights and sounds that will make the 2010 World Cup unique, none promises to rouse more controversy than the blare of a plastic horn.