Football legend Wayne Rooney has characterized the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the worst and pinned his controversial stance on the fan atmosphere around the tournament. (Scroll down to watch video)
The 2010 World Cup took place in South Africa with Spain winning the tournament for the first time after beating the Netherlands.
It remains the only World Cup held in Africa and is widely regarded as one of the best and most iconic World Cup editions.
However, Rooney disagrees with this notion by indicating that the tournament was bad particularly regarding the lack of complete fandom during the competition.
“You’re not getting worse than South Africa, you’re not…it’s pitch black, there’s no fans.”
“You know when you go the World Cup, there’s fans everywhere, you feel the atmosphere, nothing. No, it just didn’t feel like a World Cup” Rooney said on The Overlap Podcast.
Rooney competed at the 2010 World Cup with England but the Three Lions crashed out of the competition at the round of 16 stage after losing 4-1 to Germany.
🎥 “You are not getting a worse World Cup than South Africa in 2010. That tournament never felt like a World Cup.”—Former England player, Wayne Rooney.
Rooney ended the tournament without registering a goal or assist in four appearances.
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— Citi Sports (@CitiSportsGHA) March 19, 2026
