Interestingly, two South American nations have progressed along with Central Americans Mexico and Asian representative South Korea.
But the departed is the focus here as the post-mortems begin.
Au Revoir France
France 0 Uruguay 0āāFrance 0 Mexico 2'āFrance 1 South Africa 2
It has been a campaign to forget for Raymond Domenech and Les Bleus, with Nicolas Anelkaās expulsion followed by the teamās refusal to train. Thereās no doubt, itās been Franceās worst ever World Cup performance, especially considering they made the final four years ago.
Domenech, who now leaves the French top job for ex-Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc, got himself embroiled in another controversy after the South Africa game, after refusing to shake the hand of Bafana Bafana boss Carlos Alberto Parreira.
Domenech briefly spoke after the South Africa loss and said: āGood luck to my successor and the French team. I wish them all the best. I will be their number one fan.ā
Totsiens South Africa
South Africa 1 Mexico 1āāSouth Africa 0 Uruguay 3'āSouth Africa 2 France 1
After some excellent pre-World Cup form, South African hopes were raised for the hosts but all didnāt go according to plan. Nevertheless, for a team ranked 83rd in the world, their efforts must be well-received despite becoming the first World Cup hosts to not reach the knockout phase.
The opening 1-1 draw with Mexico was a thriller, but it couldāve been so much better for Bafana Bafana after they conceded with ten minutes to go. The Uruguay loss put them in a difficult position and despite beating the French, the damage was done and it wasnāt enough.
South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said: āIf we had some luck we would be in the last 16. We could have scored more goals but this is not failure, only disappointment. I have to thank the players for their work and commitment in the last seven months. What they have done is unbelievable.ā
Athio Greece
Greece 0 South Korea 2āāGreece 2 Nigeria 1'āGreece 0 Argentina 2
The 2004 European champions were making only their second ever World Cup appearance in South Africa and broke two ducks, their first World Cup goal and their first World Cup victory. Nevertheless, they failed to reach the knockout round in a group where they might have fancied their chances.
The opening loss to South Korea was very disappointing as the performance wasnāt up to scratch but they responded with a good 2-1 win over Nigeria, although there was a touch of fortune about the goals. In their final game they tried to grind a result out against Argentina, but they couldnāt do so and probably didnāt deserve to go through.
Greeceās 71-year-old coach Otto Rehhagel refused to comment on his future as head coach but it appears the 2010 World Cup might have been his swansong. After the Argentina loss, Rehhagel commented: āMy players played with their hearts and with excitement, but it was just not enough to cause Argentina much troubles.ā
Farewell Nigeria
Nigeria 0 Argentina 1āāNigeria 1 Greece 2'āNigeria 2 South Korea 2
An utterly underwhelming campaign from the Nigerians, who turned to former Sweden boss Lars Lagerback months out from the World Cup. Ultimately he failed to get Nigeria going and they fell short, with no wins. In the end, he may look back on Sani Kaitiās red card against Greece with some regret, as it turned that match.
Nevertheless, after their slow start, Nigeria still knew there was every possibility if they defeated South Korea in their final game they could progress. They produced a thrilling 2-2 draw with the South Koreans, but it may have been so much more if Yakubu Aiyegbeni hadāve taken a simple chance. The Super Eagles definitely had their opportunities.
Lagerback said: āIām very disappointed because I was convinced we deserved more in the World Cup. At all times, we continued to fight, to achieve progression, but unfortunately it was not enough.ā