2010年世界杯的比赛已经拉开战幕。这是非洲大陆有史以来第一次举办世界杯足球赛。
星期五，大约九万名球迷涌入约翰内斯堡新近整修的足球城体育场，他们当中大多身穿代表着南非国家队的黄绿相间的衣着。这些球迷纷纷赶到现场观战本届世界杯南非对阵墨西哥的首场赛事。本届世界杯共有32个国家参加，历时一个月。
世界杯开幕式上，身着五彩服饰和人体彩绘的歌手以及舞者带来了精彩演出。南非总统祖马和墨西哥总统卡尔德龙并肩而坐，共赏盛会。他们各自戴着本国球队的围巾。
电视转播镜头显示，诺贝尔奖得主、前南非大主教德斯蒙德.图图身着南非队服，在看台上手舞足蹈。
然而，欢乐激动的气氛却因为前总统曼德拉的缺席打了几分折扣。星期四，曼德拉的重孙女泽娜妮.曼德拉在从迎接世界杯的演唱会返回家中的途中遭遇车祸，不幸身亡。她的死讯导致曼德拉取消了原订在首场比赛中露面的计划。
Play has begun at the 2010 World Cup — the first ever World Cup to be held on the continent of Africa.
About 90,000 fans mostly dressed in South Africa’s team colors of yellow and green, packed into the newly refurbished Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on Friday. They are watching South Africa play Mexico in the first game in the 32-nation, month-long tournament.
The opening ceremony featured singers and dancers in colorful costumes and body paint. South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma and his Mexican counterpart, Felipe Calderon, sat side-by-side overlooking the festivities, each wearing their home team’s scarf.
Television cameras also showed South African Nobel laureate and retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu wearing a team jersey and dancing in the stands.
The excitement was tempered, though, by the absence of former president Nelson Mandela, who canceled a planned appearance after his great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash on her way home from Thursday’s World Cup kickoff concert.