The 2010 World Cup is now underway after host country South Africa and Mexico kicked off the world's most prestigious sports tournament.
South Africa, the 83rd-ranked team, surprised many by drawing with 17th-ranked Mexico 1-1, in the World Cup's opening match. Mexico dominated the first half, but the South African squad opened the scoring in the second half, before Mexico tied it up.
South Africa is the lowest-ranked host team in the history of the World Cup.
Earlier. the World Cup opened in speculator style before a jubilant horn-blowing crowd at Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium, in a dazzling display of colour and dance.
A colourfully-dressed group of African dancers kickstarted the ceremony for the month-long tournament before a boisterous crowd.
Many fans were wearing the yellow jerseys of Bafana Bafana, the host country's team.
The stadium, which seats 90,000, was so loud that the public announcer pleaded with the crowd to ease up on their vuvuzelas -- plastic horns which emit a loud and distinctive sound – so television audiences could hear the music.
Still, there was a touch of sadness, as former president Nelson Mandel, 91, could not attend the game, as his great-granddaughter was killed by an alleged drunk driver Thursday.
Other icons of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa attended, including Mandela's former wife, Winnie and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
It is the first World Cup to be held on African soil and a television audience estimated in the hundreds of millions is expected to tune in.
While South Africans will no doubt savour the tournament, which is billed as the world's most widely-viewed sporting event, many fans hope their low-ranked team can pull off a major upset.
This week, Zuma told players on the South African national team that "the Cup has landed in Africa for the first time and it landed in South Africa … It should stay here."
Security concerns
As a question mark hovered above Mandela's attendance, other dignitaries like UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and several African heads of state arrived in South Africa for the official opening.
They joined thousands of others who have poured into the country for the event, as security officials finalized a complex strategy to keep the crowds in check.
While the threat of a terrorist attack had been considered during preparations, security analyst Mark Schroeder said that such an incident is unlikely.
Schroeder, whose company STRATFOR is a security consultant for governments and corporations, said that many regional terror groups simply don't have the resources to pull off an attack.
He said that groups in Algeria, Yemen and Somalia are currently engaged in serious conflicts at home, and throwing scarce resources at South Africa would be difficult.
"It would make them vulnerable to a counterattack at home," Schroeder told CTV News Channel from Austin, Texas.
Still, he said that security officials in South Africa are preparing for any possibility.
"It is clear that people are taking a look at South Africa and the World Cup as a target to attack.
