The World Cup, the international sensation that occurs every four years is back, and shows all the signs of being just as exciting and full of surprises as ever. This year, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) tournament will be held in South Africa, the first time an African country has hosted the cup. June will mark the start of the 19th World Cup, and 32 teams will set out with a thirst to win the most coveted title in the world.

These teams will be split into eight groups of four, and will then battle it out round-robin style. The top two finishers in group play will advance into a tournament bracket for the top 16 teams. Here are my predictions on how the 2010 FIFA World Cup will pan out.

Group A

Group A has the pleasure of opening the 2010 World Cup in a game between host nation South Africa and Mexico, the number two qualifying team out of North America. The other two teams in this pool are Uruguay and perennial soccer powerhouse France.

While South Africa will have home-field advantage, it does not have the skill to survive in the World Cup.

Mexico, on the other hand, is one of the teams favored to advance into the second round of the tournament. It has the best goalkeeper in its group in Guillermo Ochoa, and an extremely strong offense.

Uruguay played decently during its World Cup qualifying in the tough South American group. If it beats either Mexico or France, they may very well end up in the next round.

France should not have a hard time advancing. Nonetheless, it is not the same team that was a runner-up at the 2006 World Cup. Its players are aging and more prone to injuries, and its strong defense will not hold forever.

Group B

Group B is one of the more interesting groups of the tournament. All four teams have a chance to make it to the second round after group play. Group B includes Argentina, Nigeria, Greece and Asian Confederation of Football 1st place qualifiers South Korea.

Argentina will definitely be the talk of the tournament. Its team has the capability to win this year’s Cup, mostly due to its powerful offense, which includes Carlos Tevez and 2009 FIFA Footballer of the Year award winner Lionel Messi. Argentina’s downside is its coach, Diego Maradona. He has the ability to drag his team down with his unpredictable behavior.

Nigeria plays a rather slow and methodical game, although this is what the team will need to continue doing if it wants to advance to the next round. Despite the fact that it was the last African team to qualify for the Cup, it will battle for second place in Group B.

This will be South Korea’s eighth consecutive appearance in the World Cup tournament. Count on midfielder Ji-Sung Park to be the team’s inspiration and leader. If the Koreans play smart soccer, they will have a chance to finish in the upper half of this group and move on.

Greece has gone on a downhill slide ever since its European Football Championship win in 2004. After missing the 2006 World Cup, Greece will have a hard time finding its rhythm. However, if its defense stays stout, Greece may surprise onlookers by winning some games.

Group C

Group C has probably been the most talked about group. It features European powerhouse and tournament favorite England, the United States of America, Algeria, and Slovenia. The top two teams, the U.S. and England, should have no problem advancing, but Algeria and Slovenia will have a tougher time.

After failing to qualify for Euro 2008, England has played near-perfect soccer, having compiled a 9-0-1 record in World Cup qualifying. Its star is 2010 FWA Footballer of the Year Wayne Rooney, who is an unstoppable force on the field.

Algeria is in the World Cup for the first time since 1986. This, combined with recent poor play in losses against Serbia and Egypt mean that Algeria will need a near miracle to advance on to the second round.

This year’s U.S. team is the strongest team the Yanks have ever fielded, and they are sure to advance to the next round. They have one of the top goalies of the world in Tim Howard, and midfielder Clint Dempsey has had success playing in Europe. If everything clicks for the U.S., it has a strong chanceof going far.

Slovenia will need to rely on its strong defense in order to advance. It stunned the world by beating Russia in the qualifying rounds, but it will need to recreate more of the magic that encompassed that game in order to go farther.

Group D

Group D may be the toughest group of all. Germany, who is a favorite, leads a group full of talent and surprise. Although the Germans are strong contenders to advance, all of the spots are up for grabs. Serbia, Ghana and Australia will battle for the remaining three slots.

Germany, ranked sixth in the world, may be out of luck this year. Though led by a contingent of experienced players, it will be without star midfielder Michael Ballack due to an injury. This does not bode well because he usually dictates how well Germany plays. Defense this year is key—if it is not at a world-class level, Germany is vulnerable.

Serbia is a team that finished first in its qualifying group, ahead of France. It plays scrappy, aggressive defense led by center back Nemanja Vidic. If it keeps up its qualifying form, it will be tough to beat.

Ghana is the second-best African team in the tournament and will be led by Chelsea’s Michael Essien. If he continues his persevering style, Ghana has a chance to advance.

Ranked 21st in the world, Australia has not had much recent success. It will have to depend on veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to keep it afloat in this strong group.

Group E

Out of Group E comes three teams who all have the passion and talent to advance. The remaining team is expected to bring up the rear. Look for excitement as the Netherlands strives for a first place finish, and Cameroon and Denmark will clash for second place. Japan is the underdog of this group.

An experienced, disciplined squad, the Dutch should go far. Although it is known as a solid team full of stars who always under-perform, this year will be different because of the addition of midfielder Wesley Sneijder and versatile Rafael Van der Vaart. It also has the most formidable offense in the world, thanks to strikers Ryan Babel, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Dirk Kuyt, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie. With such skilled forwards, it is almost a given that the Dutch will make it past the first round of the Cup.

Denmark is one of the silent assassins of the tournament. In qualifying matches, it upset Portugal and Sweden to make the Cup. Denmark will reach the second round if coach Morten Olsen can inspire his players to victory.

If Cameroon wants to be a contender in this World Cup, it will need star forward Samuel Eto’o to play the best soccer of his life. However, if the deadly striker disappears for a game or two, then so do Cameroon’s chances.

The Japanese hope that they will once again reach the second round, but their chances are extremely slim. It will need huge performances from its star Shunsuke Nakamura if they want any hope of surviving.

Group F

Group F is the most straightforward group of the tournament: it includes 2006 World Cup champions Italy, but other than that, none of the other teams are especially impressive. Paraguay is solid, which leaves average teams Slovakia and New Zealand to battle it out as Group F’s cellar dwellers.

Though the Italians are the reigning world champions, their age is catching up to them. However, they have the best keeper in the world in Gianluigi Buffon. Italy also has a 3-0 record in recent meetings against teams from Group F. It was lucky to receive an easy draw.

Paraguay is the other team that will advance out of Group F. They will be playing for Salvador Cabañas, its striker who will be missing the World Cup after a near-fatal gunshot wound. If it advances, it has the chance to play Argentina, a team it is all too familiar with and has a chance of beating.

This is New Zealand’s first trip to the cup since 1982, and it will need a miracle if it wants to see the second round. The All Whites need tough defender Ryan Nelsen to be on top of his game if they want to leave with any points.

Slovakia is in a similar situation as New Zealand. Having qualified for its first World Cup ever, one should not expect too much from the team. The Slovakian’s star midfielder Marek Hamsik needs to lean on his experience playing in Italy’s Series A in order to carry the Slovakian team to victory.

Group G

Known as “the group of death,” Group G is the toughest group in the tournament. It includes the world’s number one team Brazil, number three Portugal and number 27 Ivory Coast. The last team in this group, North Korea, had the great misfortune of being placed in a group where it is completely out matched in every way.

Brazil has a stacked roster full of stars in every position. Former player of the year Kaká bolsters a midfield full of talent. The defense is probably the best in the tournament; it features backs Maicon and Dani Alves. Robinho and Luis Fabiano will be the primary attackers. Brazil is the tournament’s most well rounded team.

Portugal was playing stellar soccer until star striker Cristiano Ronaldo was injured during the qualifying campaign. 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo will need to show up with his bag of tricks ready to make easy work of Portugal’s opponents. Everything depends on Ronaldo—if he plays well, expect to see them later on in the tournament.

As the best African team in the tournament, Ivory Coast has a strong chance of advancing, but they will need strong play from forward Didier Drogba. Ivory Coast plays Portugal in both teams’ first game. Expect the winner of that game to advance to the next round as a second place finisher.

North Korea’s outlook is bleak. It may benefit the team to start looking forward to the 2014 World Cup.

Group H

This is not a group to be taken lightly. Current European Champion and world number two Spain is looking to add to its trophy collection, while the number two qualifier out of South America, Chile is looking to make a splash. Right behind them in the FIFA rankings is Switzerland, who qualified first in its European qualifying group, and Honduras, a team nobody should look over.

Spain will once again be a contender to win, since it is bringing the same team to South Africa that won Euro 2008. Spain is a team full of stars such as strikers Fernando Torres, David Villa and midfielder Andres Iniesta. This team also boasts the best goalie in the world, Iker Casillas.

Switzerland has a fairly strong chance of making it to the second round. However, a home loss to Luxembourg and a weak qualifying group show that it may not be the strong contender people expect. Switzerland may even end up last in Group H.

While Honduras may be the lowest ranked team of Group H, it is not to be taken lightly. It has as good a chance of coming in second as Switzerland and Chile. Fearless midfielder Wilson Palacios can take the team far.

Chile could very well end up number one in Group H. This young team is talented dangerous; it is too inexperienced to know when to back down. While this is generally a positive thing, it can also be detrimental to the team. That is why goal-scoring midfielder Matias Ariel Fernandez Fernandez will need to step up into the leadership role the team needs.

Second Round (Round of 16) Predictions

Group A winner (Mexico) vs. Group B runner up (South Korea): South Korea’s Cup run will end against El Tri. Mexico’s solid play by midfielders Israel Castro and Gerardo Torrado will be too much for Ji-Sung Park to overcome on his own.

Group B winner (Argentina) vs. Group A runner up (France): Lionel Messi and Argentina’s potent offense will win over France’s weakening defensive line Do not expect much from the aging French.

Group C winner (England) vs. Group D runner up (Serbia): England knows Manchester United defender and Serbian star Nemanja Vidic all too well and will have a goal-scoring frenzy by running all over Serbia en route to the quarterfinals.

Group D winner (Germany) vs. Group C runner up (USA): In a close game, the U.S. team will win a hard-fought match. Without Ballack playing for Germany, Clint Dempsey and company will be abl to win the midfield battle.

Group E winner (The Netherlands) vs. Group F runner up (Paraguay): The Dutch have much more international experience than Paraguay does and it will show in this match as they dispose of the South American side easily.

Group F winner (Italy) vs. Group E runner up (Denmark): These two teams will play until the bitter end, but Italy’s defense will hold against the Danish attack. Expect the Italians to win in the last minutes of the game or in penalty kicks.

Group G winner (Brazil) vs. Group H runner up (Honduras): Brazil’s experience in international play and star power will be too much for the young Hondurans to handle. Brazil should win a relatively easy game against its northern neighbor.

Group H winner (Spain) vs. Group G runner up (Portugal): In what is bound to be a game for the ages, Spain will prevail in an exciting match. Even with star winger Ronaldo playing on top of his game, Spain’s midfield weapons Iniesta, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas will be too powerful.

Third Round (quarterfinals)

Mexico vs. England: Mexico will put up a strong fight, but in the end, England will overpower the North American side, as Mexico will have no defensive answer for Rooney.

Brazil vs. Netherlands: In what will be a battle between the two best offenses in the tournament, the Oranje will put up a valiant fight, but Robinho and Brazil will overpower them. Netherlands will run out of steam at the end and will not be able to keep pace with the Samba Kings.

Argentina vs. Germany: The Germans will not be able to build upon their past success when they meet an Argentinean team that knows how to exploit the debilitated German defense. Again led by Messi, Argentina will win a closer match against an experienced German side.

Spain vs. Italy: This match features the top two goalkeepers in the world, Spain’s Casillas and Italy’s Buffon. In a game that will not be nearly as close as the two teams’ previous victories, Spain will take control early on in the match and then never look back. The aging Italians will implode as Torres and Spain beat the beloved Buffon in goal.

Semifinals

England vs. Brazil: This clash of titans will be a thrill ride all the way through but it will end in heartbreak for England and its fans as their team will lose in a penalty kick shootout. This is where England’s lack of a competent goalie will finally hurt them.

Argentina vs. Spain: Spain has an absurd amount of experience in international play, such as winning Euro 2008 and a World Cup victory, and it will benefit from that here as they face an overzealous Argentinean squad. While Spain will play flawlessly, Argentina’s loss will be more of Maradona’s fault for preparing them poorly for this high-caliber match than for Spain’s actual performance.

Third Place match

England vs. Argentina: England will want vengeance after losing a close semifinal match and will win against a tired Argentina. In a battle between the best forwards in the world, Messi and Rooney, Rooney will score and the defensive combination of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry will negate Messi, Diego Milito, and the rest of Argentina’s formerly powerful offensive unit.

Championship

In a battle between the world’s number one and number two, Brazil and Spain will play completely contrasting styles of soccer. Brazil will emerge victorious due to its motivation to take back the title of world champion as well as its superior performance in nearly every position.

Coach Dunga will also want to prove to the world that he was right in leaving off legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo from his roster. In the end, that will not have mattered because Brazil’s superior midfield will conquer a fatigued Spanish side. This win will signal a new era of Brazilian soccer dominance because Brazil will win 3-1 in a predictable match.