On June 30^th 2010, the President of Uruguay, José Mujica, met with the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Minister of Social Role and the Minister of Public Health.  Together, they recognised the Danone Nations Cup in Uruguay as being a “national cause”.

Uruguay was the most successful nation in this year’s World Cup in terms of size, as it finished in 4^th place in spite of a population of only 3 and a half million. The country’s President also went on to recognise the global Danone Nations Cup as “the world’s reference event for children’s football”.

Such support from Ministries and Governments around the world has large impacts locally as well as nationally. In Uruguay, thanks to this scale of backing, the children making up the 2009 winning team have been granted reduced-cost Passports to allow them to go to South Africa for the World Final. The Minister of Public Health also gave the 2 delegations free vaccinations against the Yellow Fever disease – a vaccination essential for entry into South Africa.

Such actions are a large aid for the families of the children, families which in some cases would not be able to afford the cost of a Passport or other items.

This weekend, in Jakarta, the Indonesian DNC National Final will take place.

This is the climax of one of the largest national finals around the globe, an event that has drawn 37,000 children from all over the country.

More news on this to come shortly…

The DNC in Chile is an expanding event, with every year more and more eager participants. This year, the tournament was once again a huge success, with 180 teams taking part in spite of the terrible earthquake that occurred in late February this year. For the majority of teams, it’s the school coach or club coach that enters the team into the competition. But for some, it’s not that easy!

Ignacio, a 12 year-old boy from Santiago, read about the competition at school, and he thought it was amazing, so he wanted to be part of it.  Unfortunately for him, he was absent when the teacher registered the team, so he wasn’t included.  Since there was no way to play with the school team, he decided not to lose the opportunity and decided to go about things himself! 

He gathered several friends from school, and some others that he did not even know, but that also wanted to take part. He asked for parents permissions, he obtained the personal details for the registration process and even called the project leader to get more information.  They trained together, from Monday to Friday for several weeks, and entered a team, coached by his father. The youngster even made the kit himself so that the players would not just play like a team, but also look like one.

They took part in the competition on the weekend of the 22^nd and 23^rd of May, and had a great time. They may not have progressed far, but the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  After playing, he said that “it’s not necessary to have an adult for making things.  Even if we are kids, we are able to do whatever we want and, in this case, it was really worth the effort!”.  It goes to show that if you really want to do something, then you can: you just have to “Believe in Your Dreams”.

The Japanese national final took place on the 28^th of March 2010, in Tokyo, and involved almost 500 players.

Team Kawasaki Frontale FC won the DNC in Japan in 2010, just like their club did in 2009 as well! Japan is one of the few teams who will be taking two football teams to South Africa, both coming from the same club.

Soon to come on our Facebook Fan Page, the video from the Japanese national final, including the two finalists!

Here’s a reminder of the 2009 teams qualified for the World Final in South Africa, the 2010 list will be available in August:

Alger, Algeria

Cordoba, Argentina

Sydney, Australia

SK Sturm Graz, Austria

Inter Pik, Azerbaijan

Khulna, Bangladesh

Team Belgium, Belgium

Clube Futebol Zico do Rio, Brazil

Ruse, Bulgaria

Eastern Can, Canada

Escuela Deportiva Recoleta Chacabuco, Chile

Meiyuan, China

School Luis Carlos Galan, Colombia

Sparta Praha, Czech Republic

Arab Contractors Club, Egypt

Archbishop Beck, England

Montpellier HSC, France

Lichterfelder FC Berlin, Germany

Asociación Deportiva Club Menedy, Guatemala

SSB Pengcab Semarang, Indonesia

Waterford Villa FC, Ireland

Latte Dolce ‘97 de Sassari, Italy

Kawasaki Frontale FC, Japan

Shingok Elementary School, Korea

Club América, Mexico

Tétouan, Morocco

Leiden, Netherlands

MOSP Jagiellonia Białystok, Poland

Millennium Team, Portugal

Scoala da Dinias, Romania

Vityaz Chelyabinsk, Russia

Riyadh west schools, Saudi Arabia

Ecole de Saly, Senegal

Bree Primary, South Africa

Sevilla FC, Spain

FC Basel, Switzerland

Espérance de Tunis, Tunisia

Istanbul City Team, Turkey

Lviv, Ukraine

Colonia Suiza, Uruguay

More news coming soon…

Since 2008, Javier “Pupi” Zanetti has been the national ambassador of the Danone Nations Cup in Argentina. The Argentina international has not only inspired many kids to participate and play in the country’s annual tournament, but also, through the “Pupi Fundation” he has made a big difference socially. This Foundation supports thousands of children from families with lower incomes, who are in need of better nutrition in Argentina.

The DNC and the “Pupi Foundation” collaborate on a yearly basis with the ambition of donating as many litres of dairy products to the Foundation. Every spectator present during the competition represents 1 litre donated to the Foundation, and therefore to kids in need. The national tournament consists of 2 phases, the first being 4 regional competitions, and the second a national final which in 2010 took place on Friday 11^th of June, in Buenos Aires.

Throughout the whole competition, 28,000 spectators attended the Argentinean DNC. As shown in the photo, this represented 28,000 litres of dairy products donated to the Foundation – a record! In 3 years of carrying out this initiative, the collaboration has donated a total of 76,500 litres!

The Danone Nations Cup in Morocco is a national competition that draws thousands of children from all over the country. The competition includes 5 phases, the first phase taking place in schools, and the next phases leading up to the national final which in 2010 took place in Kénitra.

The final took place on the weekend of the 2^nd and 3^rd of April, and the atmosphere was really something thanks to a music group which opened the event. There were also 2 professional free style footballers to impress the spectators and players that gathered for the final.

The final match itself was watched by some celebrities: M. Boujemaa Benkhrif (the first international footballer for Morocco), M.Nourreddine Naybet (a former Captain of a local Club called the Atlas Lions), and M. Mohamed Gazaz (a former international referee). Of course the winning team of the Moroccan DNC is Tanger, and they are understandably thrilled to be representing Morocco at the World Final in South Africa.

In 2009, the majority of Danone employees in Italy voted to support the “Danone for Haiti” project focused on fighting against malnutrition among Haitian children. The project was carried out in cooperation with the Fondazione Francesca Rava - N.P.H. Italia Onlus.

The importance of “Danone for Haiti” became even greater following the terrible natural catastrophe at the start of 2010. Danone Italy supported the initiative in several ways, one of which was the Italy DNC 2010.

This project gave a Haitian team from an orphanage, called Kay Sainte Hélène in Kenscoff, the opportunity to participate in the World Final of the DNC, representing their country. But before travelling to Jo’bourg in October, the 14 kids and their coach were offered the chance to travel to Italy for the occasion of the national DNC finals. There, they spent 2 weeks visiting the country and sharing some fantastic moments, like visits to:

     ·     The Milanello (AC Milan’s Training Centre), where they met some of the players

     ·     Danone’s factory in Casale Cremasco

     ·     The Vatican and a free Papal Audience

     ·     The Parma FC Stadium (Tardini Stadium), for a friendly match

     ·     The Italian National Football Team training in Sestriere

During their encounter with the Italian national football team, the kids were privileged to meet the Captain of the Italian team, Fabio Cannavaro (see photo below), as well as other members of the current World Cup Champions.

At the end of these inspiring two weeks, the 14 Haiti children experienced the Italian DNC. Spectators said that the 8 teams that qualified for this final round welcomed the Haiti kids with open arms, and they managed to play a “solidarity match” against the winning team of the Italian DNC National Final, “Nuova Tor Tre Teste” who come from Rome.

The 14 children spent a great couple of weeks, and returned to Haiti to tell stories of their adventure to their friends and families. Of course, they are eagerly looking forward to the DNC World Final in South Africa, and are especially excited about playing against the rest of the world!

For more information, photos or videos on this initiative see the Danone Per Haiti Facebook Fan Page.

For the 10^th anniversary of the DNC in Tunisia, the event was organised for the first time across an entire weekend. For this special edition, the participating children played on the Saturday and then stayed overnight in Tunis to play/spectate the day of the final.

“It was the most captivating DNC Tunisian final yet” claimed a spectator, “mainly because it was the first time a Primary school team was able to reach the final.” This tournament, which draws 13,000 children from all over the country, brings together school teams and club teams.

The final itself was disputed between Béni Khdech Primary School and Etoile Sportive du Sahel, and it went down to the very last second! Like previous years, it was a club that won the trophy: Team Etoile Sportive du Sahel won the contest for the first time in its history, and will travel to Johannesburg for the DNC World Final.

The National Final of the DNC in Mexico will take place this weekend 27^th of June, the same day as Mexico will play against Argentina in the last 16 round of the FIFA World Cup ©.

Get ready for more news on this final!

There was some real young talent in Spain last weekend for the national final of the Spanish DNC. The participating children were treated to a grand opening ceremony and draw in one of “La Liga’s” most famous football clubs: “RCD Espanyol”. All the team’s who’d qualified for the final round were able to visit the club’s changing rooms, where some great footballers like Messi and Xavi (to name some) would have visited recently to play in Spain’s biggest League derbies.

The competition itself, which gathers 10 teams from all over Spain, was played on the Espanyol’s training grounds, and after a superbly played tournament, it was the home club which came through: RCD Espanyol won the national final and will represent Spain in South Africa. “Sujan” was the top scorer of the tournament.

The competition’s ambassador, Andrés Iniesta, is currently in South Africa representing Spain the FIFA World Cup © of course.

Team Amsterdam will represent the Netherlands at the DNC World Final in South Africa this October!

The final was played out between the teams from Utrecht and Amsterdam on Saturday 12^th of June, and after no goals in regular time, the tie went to extra time. It was in this period that Team Amsterdam scored a long range goal, winning the final 1-0.

Justin Bakker was awarded “Player of the tournament”, whilst the winning team’s only female player, Cherise Schelts, received the tournament’s “Top Scorer” award after scoring 5 goals during the National Final day alone.

The team’s coach, Ali Baddoua, spoke of the squad’s chances at the World Final: “I think we can play quite well in South-Africa”. Meanwhile, Danone Netherlands’ General Manager - Piet Decuypere – was more optimistic on the matter: “If this group plays as good as today during the World Final, we will become World Champions!”

You can now see the video from the Netherlands National Final on the DNC Facebook Fan Page. 

Last Friday 11^th of June, at the Sporting Complex of “El Poli” in Buenos Aires, the national final of the Argentina DNC saw 4 regional champions come together to find out which team would be national champions!

The Inter Milan central defender “Pupi” Zanetti spent the afternoon watching the tournament. Having just lifted the Champions League Trophy himself, he was the right person to inspire the players to glory. In the end, in front of thousands of parents and spectators it was Belgrando de Cordoba who won the final 2 – 1 on penalties against Santa Fe.

Awards went to the best defender and the best striker of the tournament, and they had the special chance to meet Zanetti themselves. Stay tuned to get more news on this weekend’s national finals in Barcelona (Spain) and Tunis (Tunisia). 

The Danone Nations Cup international ambassador, Zinedine Zidane, managed to make a special visit to Sinuenzo Primary School on Tuesday 15 June to meet this year’s winning team of the South African U12 competition. 

Khayelihle Dladla, one of the future Bafana Bafana stars, could not conceal his excitement when meeting the football legend: “I am glad to have met Zidane. Now I know we will do well at the games (the World Final in Johannesburg, Sept 30^th – Oct 03^rd).”

 “Zizou’s” visit was a huge boost to the team. He gave them some tips on how to win the cup: “You must enjoy and play the style of football you are used to,” said Zidane. He also advised the boys that the most important thing is that they are representing their country at such a tender age.

Over the years, South Africa has won the World Final twice – in 2003 and 2007. They are the most successful side alongside La Réunion who have clinched the title in 2001 and 2006. Remember, there are two editions this year, so this could all change dramatically! To see more photos and a video from this extraordinary visit, just check out the DNC Facebook Fan Page.

Last weekend, in rainy Dublin, the Danone Nations Cup Ireland reached its final phase. According to local spectators, “the heavens literally opened” but the DJ on the day did a good job of raising the spirits in spite of the miserable weather.

The Final itself which was played between Cherry Orchard and Abbeyleix United. The final score was 1-0 to Cherry Orchard, who defended terrifically throughout the whole competition and did not concede a single goal - quite an amazing feat!

It is not the first time this club has won the Irish DNC – in 2008, Cherry Orchard actually qualified for the World Final, at the time in Paris. “The Orchard”, as it’s locally known, will live a completely different experience in Johannesburg but is sure to provide all the emotions of a DNC World Final.

Photos of the day, including all 8 participating teams, can be found on the DNC Facebook Fan Page.

The Under 12 footballers from the Waikato Bay of Plenty region came together at Puarenga Park, Rotorua last Sunday to compete at the DANONE Nations Cup New Zealand. Teams from Rotorua, Thames Valley, Waikato, Eastern BOP, Taupo and Western BOP competed in the event.

Despite the awful weather, teams played with the energy and creativity you would expect from this age group.  Rotorua and Eastern BOP played good football and were unlucky not to progress though to the final, which was contested between the classy teams of Western BOP and Waikato.

In the final Western BOP hit the lead in the first half, only for Waikato to equalise as half time approached.  With the wind at there back in the second half Waikato passed the ball around really well and created a number of chances.  They managed to convert one of these into a goal seven minutes before the full time whistle.

Final Score: Waikato (2) defeated WBOP A (1)

Team Waikato will now represent New Zealand at the 2010 DANONE National Cup Final in South Africa.

Indeed, strong educative and nutritive values are promoted throughout this 3-month football tournament.

The 4th edition of Mundialito Danone Uruguay gathered 193 teams, comprising more than 2900 participants, and 7500 parents and spectators all around the country.

The national final took place on 6th June in Charrua Stadium, the second biggest stadium in the country. The event, which was broadcasted live on national TV, saw a total of 32 teams, 480 players, 63 matches played, 134 goals scored ans more than 1700 spectators!

The winner that will wear the colours of Uruguay during the World Final of the DNC is Team Palermo I.

To see more photos of this great day in Montevideo, become a fan of the DNC Facebook Fan Page.

The upcoming national finals will take place in Argentina (11th June, Buenos Aires), in the Netherlands (12th June, den Haag) and in Ireland (13th June, Dublin).

Stay tuned on this blog for all the results.

Team Tangail, composed of 14 children from remote villages,  made a memorable trip to the national final and booked their tickets to South Africa.

Tangail overpowered Jhalkathi 3-0 in the final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium with a display of skill  and hard work that won the hearts of the football lovers, a final that included 2 goals from striker Shuvo Khan (tournament’s top scorer), and another from Mishu.

As the chief guest at the concluding ceremony, the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee for Youth and Sports, Zahid Ahsan Russel, handed the Champions Trophy to Team Tangail. “The players have proved their quality and we can dream of playing a World Cup one day if we can nurture these youngsters”, said Russell.

Elsewhere in the tournament, the Fair-Play Trophy was awarded to Thakurgaon, who finished in the 4th position.  

All the fans of the Danone Nations Cup should keep an eye on “Gio” dos Santos who will play for Mexico against the host team, South Africa, during the opening match.

This really is a once-in-a-life chance for the 22 year-old Mexican forward.

Back in 2001, he participated in the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup in Paris with Team Mexico and finished 5th. He was even awarded best scorer of the competition!

Then, he joined the prestigious Spanish club of FC Barcelona until 2008 and signed for Tottenham Hotspurs FC (England). He is now a player of the biggest club in Turkey : Galatasaray SK.

In 2007, he was the Spanish ambassador of the DNC and supported all the kids at the DNC World Final in Lyon.

We wish you good luck “Gio” !

At first, the national final was supposed to tak eplace on 23rd of May but it was postponed due to heavy rain in Santiago, very heavy rain !

All the finalist teams finally met up for the national final last Sunday 6th June in the Capital, in the presence of the local ambassador and former football player José Luis “Coto” Sierra.

The winning team from Colo-Colo will have the chance to represent Chile at the World Final of the DNC 2010 !

In Germany, the national final involves more than 600 teams from all over the country.

The national final was held on 5th and 6th June in the prestigious Commerzbank Arena of Frankfurt.

These were two days of emotions, fun and joy for kids and adults gathered around the same passion of football.

At the end, MVS Duisburg won the final against Lichterfelder FC Berlin, the winning club in 2009.

Go to the  Facebook Fan Page to see the tournament’s highlights.

There were about 500 spectators at the national phase of the DNC in Ukraine, and that’s a record!

On a very hot day in Kiev, several very competitive teams met and shared the pleasure of playing football.

By winning 1-0 against the winner of last year’s tournament, Niva qualified for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup that will take place in October 2010. Their dreams came true…

More photos on the Facebook Fan Page !

On a very sunny day in Florida, 10 teams took part in a fantastic soccer day in front of around 500 spectators.

Miami Elite USA qualified for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010 following a clear-cut victory over FC Tampa Alliance Rangers (5-0) in the final.

Marcelo Landau, coach of the winning team, said ”We have a great team! It’s not just about me; it’s them (the players). I knew in the beginning that with these kids, we would represent the USA and now we hope to bring back the Danone Nations Cup in South Africa.”

To see the whole ESPN interview of the finalist teams’ coach and the highlights from the semi-finals and the final, as well as photos from the day, go now to the Danone Nations Cup Official Facebook Fan Page.

The “Hagi Danone Cup” designated on June 1^st, in Constanta, the winning team that will represent Romania at the World Final of the DNC 2010 in South Africa this October.

Played on the national Children’s Day, this national phase of the tournament involved 16 teams among which the 2 finalists : LPS “Aripi” (wings) Pitesti and LPS Banatul Timisoara.

By winning the final 3-1 in a triumphant manner, the victorious kids from Pitesti have been awarded with the “Hagi Danone” trophy handed over the team by the Romanian football legend, Gheorghe Hagi, the ambassador of the competition.

The first of a long series of souvenirs in the Danone Nations Cup !

In Bulgaria, the team of Plovdiv club won the national tournament last Tuesday in Sofia, also the national Children’s Day.

The famous player from Manchester Utd - Dimitar Berbatov - was there all day long and gave the award to the winning kids.

Berbatov then gave them some precious advises on how to enjoy the World Final 2010 in South Africa at the most.

Check out the highlights of the Romanian and Bulgarian finals on the Danone Nations Cup Official Page on Facebook, including Berbatov’s speech !

This year, the national final took place in very sunny Sao Paulo, last Saturday, in presence of former national team captain and winner of FIFA World Cup 1994 and 2002: Cafú.

The Fair Play prize has been awarded to Felipe, a player from Colégio Paraíso.

The kids from the carioca club Fluminense FC, winner of the national final, can’t wait to go to South Africa for the World Final of the DNC ! 

Involving more than 200 schools, the tournament is a real success in Belgium.

More than 150 spectators attended the national tournament in Brussels-Auderghem on 29th May and two famous ambassadors, Dennis Odoi and Dries Mertens, were there to support the kids and share good moments of fun with them.

The 2009 winning team was invited to play two mini games against each of the 2010 competition’s finalists and they won them both.

The team VBS Groenendaal de Merksem received the “Fair-Play” trophy.

To see more photos of the national final in Brazil and in Belgium, go now to the Danone Nations Cup Official Page on Facebook !

They enjoyed this full-of-hope adventure with great excitement and a lot of emotions. They were welcomed at the Italian national tournament with open arms, speaking the universal language of sports.

Beyond football, both Haitian and Italian kids will never forget those moments of cultural exchanges. They really look forward to meeting each other again during the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010 this coming October.

Regarding the Italian national final, 8 teams met last Sunday in Ligano Sabbiadoro after each winning their regional phases. Italy will be represented by last year’s finalist, Nuova Tor Tre Teste, winner of the 11th edition of the Italian DNC. They played a “solidarity final” with Team Danone Haiti before the awards ceremony.

To enjoy more photos and videos of the unforgettable event, connect now to Facebook and go to the Danone Nations Cup Official Page !

The Senegalese tournament involved 2,400 kids all over the country and has been locally organized by Danone and Diambars.

The teams from Mbour and Pikine played a very tight final in Dakar, Senegal, on 30th May.

After winning an intense penalty-kick shoot-out, Team Pikine will represent Senegal at the World Final 2010.

In Poland, the national final took place in Posani last Saturday.

The local team, Lech Poznan, played a great tournament and, by a 3-0 victory, won the right to go to South Africa for the DNC 2010 in October.

As you can see on the photo, they are really enthusiastic about it !

Other results and nice stories of the national finals coming soon…

In presence of Roman Hubnik and Daniel Zitka, both Czech DNC ambassadors and players of the Czech Republic national team, Team Slavia Praha qualified for the World Final of the DNC 2010 by winning against Banik Ostrava (see photos).

To enjoy more photos, and the prize-giving on video, go now to the Danone Nations Cup Official Page on Facebook !

Next tournaments will take place soon. Come and cheer up your team!!!

- 29th May in Sao Paulo, Brazil

- 29th May in Brussels-Auderghem, Belgium

- 29th May in Posani, Poland

- 30 May in Dakar, Senegal

- 30th May in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy

- 31st May in Riad, Saudi Arabia

- 31st May in Orlando, USA 

- 1st June in Sofia, Bulgaria

- 1st June in Constanta, Romania

 

Congratulations to Javier “Pupi” Zanetti, DNC ambassador in Argentina, who won with his team for the first time the UEFA Champions League.

As captain of Internazionale Milan, he was the first to lift the trophy last Saturday in Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid.

A great reward for his 700^th match with the Italian club!

Javier Zanetti is deeply-involved in the Danone Nations Cup through the Fundación Pupi. For each spectator at the national final in 2010, Danone will donate 1 litre of milk to the foundation, in order to support the social integration of poor children in Argentina.

Last year 26,000 spectators attended the final of the Argentine DNC tournament.  How many will turn up for the 2010 national final in Buenos Aires, in June? To know more, visit the Argentina DNC blog. 

There will be one other DNC national final in Czech Republi taking place tomorrow.

Stay tuned to hear the stories from this event!

In front of 7,000 spectators, some of whom were unusually tall (go to the Facebook Fan Page to see why), Sinenzuzo beat Sada Higher Primary 3-0 in the final.

To see more photos and what the winning team’s coach thought of the performance, check out the fan page here.

There, St Cuthbert’s took on Whitgift Independent School in front of 2000 spectators. St Cuthbert’s team played in Red and were able to defend spectacularly throughout the match, but in the end Whitgift won 1-0 with a brilliant effort from their right winger in the second half.

In the build up to the match, Guinness World Record adjudicators were on hand to judge whether 429 participants (school children, Danone employees and professional choreographers, Kayzar Dance School) successfully broke the standing World Record for the largest Robotic Dance… They did it!!

And during the half time interval, Kayzar Dance School put on an impressive dance show for the fans.

Peter Crouch summarised the event as being “all in all a very full and fruitful day”. There are lots more photos on our facebook fan page Danone Nations Cup Official Page, so log in now to see them.

By winning 2-1 after extra time, the ‘Millenium Team’ from Freamunde became the first Portuguese team to qualify twice in a row for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup. The school will therefore be sending 2 teams to South Africa!

Elsewhere, Atlético Clube Marinhense won the Fair Play award for their exemplary behaviour throughout the tournament.

The English Danone Nations Cup ambassador, Peter CROUCH, will be present, before flying to South Africa next month!

Exciting and new this year is the pre-match event called “MOVE LIKE A CHAMP” : a short healthy eating lesson followed by  an attempt to break the World Record of the “biggest robotic dance”  with over 500 children on the pitch!

It will even be adjudicated by Guinness World Records!!

Two other national finals will also take place this week-end:

- 16th May in Johannesburg, South Africa

- 16th May in Seixal, Portugal

Check out the blog next week to see all the photos.

Rewarding the success of the local tournament and its social implication, the Danone Nations Cup has been granted a medal of honor by the Italian president.

More than 3600 kids from 260 clubs all over the country participate in the 2010 tournament in Italy. The national final will take place on 30th May in presence of the football legend Ciro Ferrara.

Thanks to the collaboration between Danone Italy and Fondazione Francesca Rava - NPH Italia, a team from Haiti will be invited to both the Italian final this month and the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010 in South Africa in October.

To know more about this great tribute to Openness, watch this video.

- Ennpi Sporting Club (Egypt)

- Chlef (Algeria)

The Algerian final took place in front of more than 850 spectators including the winning delegation of the 2009 edition. Chlef defeated Annaba on a penalty-kick shoot-out and won their ticket to South Africa for the World Final of the DNC 2010.

There were many activities during the day: table football, shoot contests and face painting - it was a great DNC atmosphere (see photos below).

In Egypt, the winning team “Ennpi Sporting Club” had actually reached the national final in 2008, and were beaten. This year however, they came even more motivated, and were able to win the Egyptian final 3-0 - an inspiring story of determination.

Stay tuned for more news !

Watch now Zidane and the 2009 kids playing in the Never-Ending Pass.

Would you like to participate in the next video?

Well you can! Simply click on “Upload your pass” to see how…

Here it is! The spirit and adventure of the Danone Nations Cup, in a compelling video.

Zidane and the 2009 winning kids have the pleasure to present to you their video.

Even you can participate in the next one !! Want to know how, well watch it on our fan page now - Danone Nations Cup Official Page.

You’ve seen the teaser, see the real thing Monday afternoon!

Make sure you don’t miss the World Premiere of this brilliant video including Zidane and the 2009 teams on “Danone Nations Cup Official Page”!

For those who can’t wait, here’s the teaser and some photos…

Monday 3rd May, exactly 5 months before the DNC World Final, experience a WORLD PREMIERE featuring Zinedine Zidane!

Fancy a glimpse now? Then simply connect on “Danone Nations Cup Official Page” to see the teaser. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait !

“The Danone Nations Cup is all about playing for the fun of the game and taking some incredible memories home with you at the end.”

“At the age of 11, you can really enjoy Football to the full. It’s just a passion.”

“I would have loved to have the opportunity to experience such an adventure at that age.”

“My message to them is: enjoy it!”

To see the whole of last year’s interview with this footballing legend, simply click here.

Join our brand new Facebook fan page “Danone Nations Cup Official Page” to get all the latest DNC news, photos and videos - including a world premier coming soon.

You can also connect with other DNC fans from all over the world through discussion boards, polls and much more ! 

- Irak (Russia)

- Seoul Daedong Elementary School (South Korea)

- Kawasaki Frontale (Japan)

- Tanger (Morocco)

- Fak Austria (Austria), see photos below

These are the 5 teams that have already won their national finals. They will have the chance to live an unforgettable experience in South Africa for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010 in October.

The next national finals will take place in Alger (Algeria) and Cairo (Egypt) on the 29th of April.

Feel free to post a comment by clicking on the title of this post !

1,120 children from the 2009 DNC and the 2010 DNC will live the dream of participating in a life-changing experience in Johannesburg, only a few months after the 2010 FIFA World Cup©.

The godfather of the event Zinedine Zidane will not miss the occasion to greet the kids during the competition.

Follow all the latest news about the 2010 DNC national finals on the website. With 40 participating countries and 2.5 million players worldwide - stay tuned for exciting news !

 
This decision, taken after careful consideration, is clearly linked to the global developments in the pandemic influenza A H1N1.

 
Even though it is difficult to disappoint the kids, the safety and wellbeing of all participating children of the Danone Nations Cup is the absolute priority for Danone. We are fully aware of the involvement of all the children in this sporting event, primarily through the national tournaments held throughout the year and especially the dream that their participation in the World Final represents for them.

 
We also understand the disappointment of the parents and all the partners for whom this event is an exceptional dream.

 
Nevertheless our commitment on behalf of our partners and children, for whom this event is an exceptional dream, is to organize the World Final to 2010 in the best conditions.

 
Therefore, the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup is delayed until 2010, and not cancelled, so that your child can live this sportive and human adventure.

 
This is only a postponement, so join us in 2010, the year of the Football World Cup!

 
We will inform you about the new date very soon on the DNC Website.

 
On 24th May, the national final of the DNC took place in Guatemala City in front of the Brazilian consulate and more than 500 spectators. They lived a great football moment with very skilled young players and enjoyed the animations such as the Brazilian dances.

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DIGEF as Deporte won 3 to 0 in final and finished the tournament without conceding any goal! They are really glad to represent their country at the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup that will be a life changing experience for them.

They will meet 560 other kids from the 5 continents around the same values: Fair Play, Pleasure of the game, Proximity and Openness.

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For the first time, the final took place in a Bundesliga-stadium, the Commerzbank-Arena - home of Eintracht Frankfurt and home-place of the last year’s DNC-winner from Germany.

 
The teams had passed 25 regional tournaments in the weeks before and met to determine the winning team representing Germany at the World Final in Brazil in October 2009.

In an exciting final in front of 2,500 spectators and Charly Körbel, former player of Eintracht Frankfurt, the team Lichterfelder FC Berlin won against the team Reinickendorfer Füchse (2:1).

In addition to excellent football, the players and spectators faced a lot of action in the fun parc and the huge tombola with very valuable prices. A great moment for everybody!

Come back on this page in October to follow the DNC 2010 LIVE!