The 2010 FIFA World Cup, a month-long festival for soccer fans around the world, has opened in South Africa.

The 19th FIFA World Cup kicked off with an official ceremony in Johannesburg followed by the opening match between host nation South Africa and Mexico at 11 p.m. Friday (Korea time) at the Soccer City Stadium.

The 32 participating countries will vie for the golden FIFA trophy in the first World Cup held in Africa, playing a total of 64 games through July 12th.

Team Korea, which advanced in the global sporting event for the seventh consecutive time, will play against Greece at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday in Port Elizabeth.

The national team will then play Argentina on June 17th and Nigeria on June 23rd.