We've given you looks at all 32 teams in the Cup. Now it's time for the group-by-group predictions. Remember: you can make your own predictions in our interactive bracket and see how you stack up against our experts.
GROUP A: South Africa, Mexico, France, Uruguay
This is actually one of the harder groups to handicap -- and it's not because you've got four powers duking it out. Every team has issues coming into the games. You have a lack of team speed in Mexico, questions about team unity in France, and an inability to live up to expectations in both South Africa's and Uruguay's cases.
France is particularly troubling, because on paper Les Bleus should be a contender. But a sex scandal involving star Franck Ribery and the flat-out nuttiness of coach Raymond Domenech have folks down on what once was a fine French side. Mexico looks to be peaking at the right time, but their reliance on aging talent could be their Achilles' heel. South Africa is sadly not ready to compete at this level; at this point, you have to hope the hosts get the home boost and don't embarrass themselves. Once-legendary Uruguay doesn't have a lot of talent to go with the players' huge hearts.
Questions: Can France make use of their talent? Can Mexico pick up the pace? Will South Africa become the first ever host country to flame out in the first round? We say: No, yes, and yes.
Picks: Mexico, Uruguay
GROUP B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
If Argentina and Nigeria don't get out of this group, they will have no one to blame but themselves.
Nigeria is not fully-cooked, but they have more talent on paper than the defense-first Greeks or the erratic South Koreans. Argentina, of course, has all the talent in the world, but a manager who just might be crazy.
Keep in mind that the schedule also favors Argentina and Nigeria. They meet first, and a draw would set them both up comfortably to run out the final two games and go through on seven points.
Questions: Can Nigeria get their strike force together under Lars Lagerbeck? Can Maradona finally get Lionel Messi playing to his full potential in Argentina's system? Can either Greece or South Korea score goals? We say: No, yes, and no.
Picks: Argentina, Nigeria
GROUP C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
This is a tougher group than many English and American fans think, and while we think the colonizers and the colonists will get out of the group, it might not be as easy as either team hopes.
England depends far too much on Wayne Rooney, and it's clear the Three Lions are scraping by on defense. Goalkeeping remains a huge concern for Fabio Capello, and the recent friendlies against Japan and Mexico showed that England can be exposed at the back. The USA is fairly solid in goal, but defensively, the Americans are hurting. With three key players coming off injuries and no clear fourth man, the Czechs and the Turks showed the Americans cannot defend down the gut and can be pried apart on the flanks.
Algeria isn't a half-bad side, but of the four, is arguably the weakest of the bunch. They haven't looked good in warm-ups and showed a bit of desperation by drafting in some players at the last minute to make up the numbers. Slovenia is the kind of tough, physical side that both England and the USA can make heavy weather of, but the question with the Slovenes is where the goals are going to come from. You don't want to play this team needing a big win, however. Slovenia has one of the better defenses in this Cup.
Questions: Who starts in net for England? Can Algeria come together in time for the tournament? Can Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit anchor the back for the Americans? Can Slovenia find a way through up top? We say: Green, yes, yes and yes.
Picks: England, United States
GROUP D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Group of Death I. These are four pretty solid teams, and all of them have a chance to get through to the knockout stage. Only the Germans look top-of-the-class, meaning that the other three should have to beat each other up pretty badly to get through. That said, injuries are already playing a factor.
Ghana is missing talismanic Michael Essien, the heart and soul of the side. Germany is absent captain Michael Ballack, a huge loss for a team that relies on the Chelsea midfielder's vision and creativity. Both teams still have a lot of weapons, and Ghana is going to get an extra little boost from playing on the African continent.
Serbia and Australia are not slouches, either. The Serbs didn't do well against the Kiwis -- and heard about it from their fans -- but don't read too much into that. They are a tough, tough side that can both score and defend. The Aussies might be the weakest of the four sides, but you cannot overlook their work rate and commitment. They have a chance to surprise here, and are going to give each of their opponents a game.
There's only one question here: Will any other group offer as much entertainment as this one? We say no.
Picks: Germany, Ghana
GROUP E: Holland, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Holland is a good pick to win the whole shebang. They enter the tournament of course as perennial dark horses, but look to have more than enough talent to shut down the other teams in this group. So, it comes down to a question of who do you pick?
Japan is a non-starter. They're not real good, and have a bad habit of shooting themselves in the foot (case in point: turning a 1-0 win over England into a 2-1 loss thanks to two own goals).
Cameroon should be one of the best teams in the tournament, but they are already being hit by the kind of toxic infighting that destroys teams (just ask Holland). And the Danes aren't bad, but are really punching above their weight; they can defend and they can score, but aren't better than average.
Questions: Can Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie combine to destroy opponents? Can Japan hold it together? Can the Danes continue to surprise? We say: Yep, nope and nope.
Picks: Holland, Cameroon
GROUP F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
If there's one group that should be easy to pick, it's this one. Even slow-starting Italy will get by these three sides, leaving it to Slovakia or Paraguay to finish second.
If you judge strictly on ability, then you'd have to concede that New Zealand shouldn't even be in this tournament. They are odds-on favorites to finish dead last, and there's a reason for it: they leak goals, can't score and aren't even a second-tier team (but, they smartly stayed in Oceania when Australia headed to Asia, and thus: World Cup).
The Slovaks are a bit tougher to figure. They are not great, but will play a physical style and try to absorb as much pressure as they can. It's hard to see them handling either the Italian counters or Paraguay's attack, but the Repre have to feel they have as good a chance as any, despite real questions about who can score.
Paraguay is coming in trying to perform for Salvador Cabanas, who was shot in the head in Mexico earlier this year (Cabanas, obviously, is not fit to play this Cup). He's become the inspirational center for a team with good goalkeeping and a couple certifiable threats. The real weak link for Paraguay is midfield; they cough the ball up too often and don't get enough offensive production.
Questions: Can Italy overcome its history of tepid starts and roll through the group? Will New Zealand score a goal? Can Paraguay finally soar? We say: No, yes, and yes.
Picks: Italy, Paraguay
GROUP G: Brazil, North Korea, Cote d'Ivoire, Portugal
Group of Death II. Only one team is a true stinker, and that's North Korea, so you have three quality teams fighting for two spaces.
Brazil has the edge. The fans are already questioning the roster, but this is a solid team under Dunga that is not going to give up easy goals, and can score freely. Brazil has to be considered Cup favorites not only for historical reasons, but because they bludgeoned all comers (when they needed to) in their qualification run.
Cote d'Ivoire can be excellent, but the heart and soul of the team is in doubt after Didier Drogba suffered a fractured elbow in a friendly against Japan last week. If he can't play, that's a killer for Les Elephants and it may doom them to an early exit. Salomon Kalou, Didier Zokora and Yaya Toure are still in the mix, but Drogba's influence cannot be overstated. Another question is manager Sven Goran-Eriksson. He's a late hire to the team and will have had only about two weeks with the full side before they actually start playing. Eriksson's record isn't great, either -- he was sacked by Mexico and is widely blamed for England's failings. You can't blame him on this one, however.
Portugal is a team in transition. They have talent in Cristiano Ronaldo and experience in Deco, but they lost some of their flair when Nani was ruled out with injury. They don't look to be a complete side. Age is clearly a factor (Ricardo Carvalho, Deco), but a lot has to with the fact that their best domestic players aren't getting enough top-quality experience any more. That they have to face Brazil also hurts the Ports: the mother country hasn't been able to hang against the golden boys. Still, if Drogba isn't at 100 percent, the Ports should nick the second spot.
North Korea? Are you kidding?
One thing we can say: This group will produce some entertaining matches.
Questions: Will North Korea withdraw suddenly if they get embarrassed? Can Brazil roll? Will Eriksson get it together? And can Carlos Queiroz overachieve? We say: Maybe, but they need the cash; yes; yes, but to no avail, and no.
Picks: Brazil, Portugal
GROUP H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
Should be a fairly straightforward group, with Spain and Chile coming out.
Spain is one of the teams to keep an eye on this year, and while it's not clear if they have the health to get all the way to the final, they do have a tremendous amount of creativity and talent. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Fernando Torres can (and should) strike fear into the hearts of any opponent, and even though Carles Puyol is getting up there, he still can make the plays in front of Iker Casillas. This is a tough team to beat.
The Chileans are interesting: This is probably the best chance they've had since 1962 to make some noise. They have a couple of guys who can hurt you in Mark Gonzalez and Humberto Suazo (though Suazo will likely miss at least one match with a leg injury). While their defense is small, Claudio Bravo is a fine 'keeper. This isn't a bad team, and you have to think they'll be crushed if they don't go through.
Honduras is on an upswing, but don't forget they needed help from Jonathan Bornstein to get into the Cup. They're going to be sentimental faves from the CONCACAF region, but they don't seem to have the horses.
The Swiss have been a disappointment. They stunk in the European Championship (which they co-hosted) and got to the Cup because they were the best of a truly lousy group. There's not a lot of talent there, and they could really play some bad games.
Questions are simple: Will Spain take all nine points? Can Honduras shine? Will a game with the Swiss actually be watchable? We say: Yes, maybe, and no.
Picks: Spain, Chile
