Hassan Al Thawadi is chief executive for the Qatar 2022 bid...Qatar is one of the most prosperous countries in the world, with gas and oil reserves and has futuristic plans for the 2022 finals.

As host of the most-watched sporting event on earth, South Africa set out to reinvent itself in the eyes of the world, casting off its reputation as a place defined by violent crime, poverty and AIDS.

Here’s a question I haven’t thought about for about a month: Can South Africa really hold the World Cup?

Twenty young Africans will get the chance of a lifetime to watch the final match of the soccer World Cup in South Africa...

The World Cup's success should not serve to mask the delinquency of South Africa's public services or the inexcusable gulf between the quality of life enjoyed by the minority and that of the poverty-stricken majority.

It has been a superbly marshalled exercise in spin: as the Financial Times said on Tuesday, the World Cup, "it is generally agreed, has been a triumph". This is the first measure of its success: as an act of rebranding or public diplomacy -- to use the new posh term of national marketing.

There is plenty to be said for the strong Dutch team at the World Cup in South Africa...With a long history built around their “Total Football” style of play, they’re probably the most talented nation never to win a World Cup final. But considering the Dutch role in Apartheid, would the Dutch winning in South Africa be bittersweet?

As the lone African team still in the running to win the first World Cup in Africa, Ghana is picking up a cohort of new supporters among locals.The vast majority of South Africans initially supported Bafana Bafana, the host country’s national soccer team, but after the team’s early exit many have had to pick a new favorite.