The most popular sport in the world will crown its champion on July 11, approximately 90 hard fought minutes after a 2:30 p.m. kick-off. The final match will played at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, the most prominent of the several host cities South Africa has held games at over the course of World Cup play.The international tournament has been underway for weeks now, opening with a pairing between the host country of South Africa and Mexico who began competition with a 1 to 1 tie. The celebration began early for the home town crowd as Siphiwe Tshabalala found the back of the net for Bufana Bufana only ten minutes into the second half. While Mexico clawed back to secure the draw, the South Africans left with a feeling of optimism that they could compete with more premiere countries on a world stage. Unfortunately, their initial hope faded as South Africa became the first country in World Cup history to be eliminated in the Group stage of the tournament. The country of Ghana became the only African nation to advance to the round of 16, carrying that momentum to a surprise victory over the United States, eliminating the much hyped Americans home earlier than anticipated.While the home team had its struggles, traditional European football powers have had major issues as well. France, in particular, had a suffered a meltdown on the world stage when striker Nicolas Anelka was dismissed from the team following a confrontation coach Raymond Domenech. The French team showed their disdain by boycotting a training session just days before their early exit at the hands of South Africa. Defending World Cup champion Italy joined France with a shocking elimination in Group play, while England limped past the Group stage only to be dismantled by the Germans in their first Stage 2 game. With an anything but normal World Cup already afoot, look forward to an intriguing and exciting matchup in the final game.