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No shortage of drama in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals was there? Not to mention red cards. But that’s all in the past. Time to focus on the future. There’s the third place playoff between Nigeria and Algeria on Saturday, but the big event is Sunday. Ghana vs Egypt in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations final.

I’m not going to type up a detailed preview here. To read someone who knows – and I mean really knows – about these two teams, visit Gary at the Ghana blog and Tamim at the Egypt blog. Those guys know their business.

My only question: Who do you think will win?

It’s the youth of Ghana (who are without Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari or Stephen Appiah, but have young hotshots like Dede Ayew and Kwadwo Asamoah) or the experience and teamwork of Egypt, who may not be going to the World Cup, but are looking to make it three Africa Cup of Nations wins in a row.

The Africa Cup of Nations final is Sunday, January 31st, with kickoff at 5pm in Luanda. That’s also 5pm CET, 4pm in the UK, 11am US Eastern time and 8am US Pacific time. We’ll be LiveBlogging the game here on WorldCupBlog.

If you’re in the UK, the game is live on BBC Two. If you’re in the USA, then you can watch online – very legally – with MyAfricanFootball.com. Click below for details.

If you have the info on how to watch elsewhere, please share below in the comments.

This looks like viral marketing done right. It’s “The Return of the Legends”, with great German players of the past “secretly” filmed training hard, preparing for some sort of return. I see 1954 World Cup winner Horst Eckel, 1974 World Cup winning goalkeeper Sepp Maier, and multiple members of the 1990 World Cup winning squad. I’m still scared of Andi Brehme’s left foot.

The video looks to be a promotional for the equally mysterious Meister vs Meister website, but I like to think – as Luke from Bayern Offside suggested when he emailed this to me – that these guys are Jogi Löw’s Plan B for the World Cup 2010 campaign.

Ghana v Nigera, 1700 local, 1100 EST.

Egypt v Algeria, 2030 local, 1430 EST.

Legal Options: here.

Streaming: myp2p; atdhe.

African Cup of Nations Semifinals Liveblogtacular

US sports broadcaster ESPN has released details of its World Cup 2010 television coverage. If you’re reading this from outside the US, you may not think this is big news. But for American soccer fans, it is. Here’s why:

In other countries, you can take it for granted that football is a big deal and so the World Cup will be treated accordingly by your broadcaster. Not so much in the USA. And so the quality of coverage given to the World Cup can be used a sort of yardstick for the progress of soccer in America.

In 2006, ESPN did a decentish job of actually putting the games on screen, but – without naming any names – the commentary and coverage left a lot to be desired. Here’s an interesting report on ESPN’s World Cup 2006 coverage from ESPN Ombudsman George Solomon. I watched several games on Univision, and I don’t speak Spanish.

ESPN released a statement yesterday, outlining its plans for World Cup 2010. And it looks like good news.

We already knew that Sky Sports legend Martin Tyler (pictured, above left) will be the lead commentator. Which is a coup. The man knows his business, so there will be no “Michael Beckham” faux pas this year. Yesterday ESPN also confirmed that:

1. All 64 matches will be broadcast live.
2. In high definition.
3. On either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC.

Of those 64 matches, 52 will be simulcast online at ESPN360.com. Which means many many Americans with be able to either secretly or not so secretly watch games at work 100% legally and in high quality (although the service is only available via certain internet providers). The only games not simulcast on ESPN360.com will be those being screened on ABC only. In which case, all you need is a TV and some bunny ears.

ESPN have also confirmed that every World Cup 2010 match will get a pre-game, half-time and post-game show, broadcast live and on location. As opposed to from Bristol, Connecticut. Teams coming out, national anthems and handshakes will all be broadcast. Which hasn’t always been the case.

Here’s the full ESPN World Cup 2010 TV schedule, image captured and pasted from this ESPN press release:

I’m cautiously optimistic that ESPN will get it right this time. What do you think US soccer fans?