Lowly South Africa joker in Group A pack

JOHANNESBURG - There is an intriguing first-round quartet at the 2010 World Cup with Group A featuring France, Mexico, hosts South Africa and Uruguay.

Virtually every other mini-league has an obvious candidate to finish first and a couple of teams vying to be runners-up and also qualify for the knockout phase of the most watched global sports event.

What makes the first group to be completed at the Cape Town draw last December so hard to call is its uniqueness with top seeds South Africa by far the weakest team if the monthly world rankings are to be trusted.