Host South Africa will kick off the opening match of Africa's first World Cup Finals against Mexico next year with two former winners, France and Uruguay, also drawn in the same Group A Friday. But if the hosts did not get the easy draw it was hoping for in Group A, neither did five times winner Brazil which play its European cousin Portugal, Africa's strongest team Ivory Coast and North Korea in the tournament's toughest section.The draw for the 32-nation tournament was made at the end of a 90-minute global television spectacular, featuring African music and dancing, broadcast to more than 250 million people around the world. The opening match will be staged on June 11 at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium with the final, the tournament's 64th match, in the same stadium on July 11. The draw was conducted by FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke with South African actress Charlize Theron and the ceremony included a televised address to the world from former South African president Nelson Mandela. The country's current president Jacob Zuma appeared on stage to make the bold prediction that the trophy would stay in Africa after the continent staged the tournament for the first time. Spain, which tops the FIFA world rankings, was immediately installed as tournament favorite.
