World Cup Breakdown

Group A

Sure, the other three teams have to go through host nation South Africa, but that really doesn't present much of a challenge. France, Mexico and Uruguay are where the real competition is. Uruguay is my favorite, because of its strong attack, especially Luis Suarez, who scored 35 goals for the Dutch club Ajax last year. France may have "laid an egg" by losing its final tune-up game against China, but the French really were the aggressors. Les Bleus lost one of their biggest soccer talents in Zinedine Zidane, but the team still has plenty to go around, including Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery. Mexico has a lot of young talent, and manager Javier Aguirre will coach in what he says is his final World Cup. The Mexicans have been one of the more consistent teams in World Cup history, advancing out of group stage the last four Cups.

Two to advance: 1) Uruguay, 2) France

Group B

I was told not to type too many words, and it's a shame really, because I could write an entire article on Argentinean midfielder/winger/forward/demi-God Lionel Messi. Having a top-two world talent definitely makes the job of manager easier, which is a good thing for Diego Maradona, who is a slightly below-average manager on his best day. However, there's too much talent for this team not to advance. Nigeria is a team of talent, but the days of a high-flying attack of the Super Eagles are gone, and Nigeria has slowly been reined in toward a more traditional defensive style. That said, they have strong attacking talent in Ayegbeni Yakubu from Everton. South Korea is a solid unit with a great work ethic, but there just isn't enough talent for the group to advance without some help. Greece is too methodical with its 4-5-1 to be a scoring factor in any way other than set pieces.

Two to advance: 1) Argentina, 2) Nigeria

Group C

Could the Americans have had better luck? Sure, they have to play England, but English defender and captain Rio Ferdinand is out for the Cup after injuring his left knee in a training session. The U.S. was already expected to advance after drawing two decent-at-best teams (Slovenia and Algeria), and now the team has a legitimate chance to win the group. That said, they will need more from Landon Donovan to dominate. England still has one of the best pure strikers in Wayne Rooney, and has gone undefeated (9-0-1) in its last ten matches. Slovenia qualified for the World Cup with a weak group other than Russia, but played poorly in their last major competition (Euro 2008, in which the team failed to qualify and only finished ahead of Luxembourg). Algeria is inconsistent – great when their game is on, and awful when it's off. This is their first World Cup qualification since 1986, so expectations are low for the African squad.

Two to advance: 1) England, 2) United States

Group D

This may be the toughest group from 1-4 in the World Cup. Germany is focused on the attack this time around, and with young stud striker Lukas Podolski, it's hard to not to be. The goalkeeping for the Germans, once an asset, could possibly be a liability with FC Schalke 04's Manuel Neuer, who was more likely to be the team's third keeper until Rene Adler went down with injury and Robert Enke's suicide in November. Add that with the injury of captain Michael Ballack (who has been replaced by Philipp Lahm), and Germany is a solid choice to advance, but questionable to go much deeper than the group stage. Serbia has sixteen players playing in one of the Big Four club leagues, and did consistently well in qualifying. Ghana plays solid soccer when it matters, despite not being the best team in the continent. It has home nation advantage, which helps. The Aussies' hopes rest on keeper Mark Schwarzer, who will have to keep the attacks of Germany, Ghana, and Serbia at bay to give his team a chance to advance.

Two to advance: 1) Germany, 2) Serbia

Group E

This one should be simple enough; the Netherlands are advancing, the Japanese are not. Now, all that's left to decipher is a match between Denmark and Cameroon. The Lions of Cameroon are solid, but need a great performance from striker Samuel Eto'o to do the most damage. In two rounds of World Cup qualifying, Cameroon went 7-0-0 when Eto'o scored. Denmark doesn't have a forward in his prime, but the 22-year-old Niklas Bendtner from Arsenal is a great threat when his game is on form. The Danes need keeper Thomas Sorensen to be able to go, or Denmark will fail to advance.

Two to advance: 1) Netherlands, 2) Cameroon

Group F

If you thought Group E was easy to pick, you haven't seen anything yet. New Zealand has zero chance of advancing, and Slovakia has too little of a chance to really go through mentioning. So, it becomes to question of who to put first – Italy or Paraguay. Lucky for them, their matchup is first, so whoever wins can play with much less intensity for the rest of the group stage. Italy has struggled for a team with so much talent, going 1-1-4 in its last six friendlies, with its lone loss coming to Mexico. Paraguay plays safer soccer, since the offensive talent is thin. In a coin toss, I'll take Italy in a close match.

Two to advance: 1) Italy, 2) Paraguay

Group G

Group G, known as the Group of Death, is a tad easier to decipher with Chelsea forward Didier Drogba out for Ivory Coast. Brazil, who has gone 23-3-3 since the 2006 World Cup, is the favorite not only to win this group, but to win the whole thing. Portugal has a lot of individual talent, including Cristiano Ronaldo. But, it all hinges on Drogba. If he isn't able to play in the first game, their match against Portugal, then the team would have to rely on a few lucky bounces and probably a win over Brazil. Even with a healthy Drogba, that's a long shot.