A winner on home soil in 1966, England are always viewed as title contenders but have rarely come close to being real contenders. This time round there is a real belief that the current squad can make it to the final and quite possibly add to its solitary world title. Having only lost one game during qualifying and having scored the most goals in its confederation the English are shaping up to be one of the teams to watch at the tournament.

Credit for the turnaround in England's fortunes has gone to Italian coach Fabio Capello. Stepping into the hot seat after England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, Capello instilled a discipline that was lacking under Steve McClaren. He has seemingly gotten the best out of a bunch of serial underachievers.

England certainly has the talent to win the tournament and with their new- found belief they just might do it. Imagine if Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand leave South Africa with the World Cup - the rest of the world would never hear the end of it.

Coach: Fabio Capello

Capello took over from Steve McClaren following England's failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championships. The Italian was venturing into his first job as an international manager, but had the pedigree to make it a success after winning titles in Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A. Capello is known for his tactics and strict adherence to disciplined play and his style seems to paid off with England having qualified top of its group and with two games to spare.

Captain: Rio Ferdinand

Fabio Capello made the bold decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy on 5 February this year following allegations regarding the Chelsea defender?s private life. There were no shortage of suitable candidates to take over the armband, with the like of Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, and Frank Lampard vying for the role. But it was the towering Manchester United center-back who won over Capello.

Star Players: Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard