With nearly 715.1 million people watching the final match of the 2006 World Cup held in Germany, the sporting event is the most watched in the world. That said, fans are adamant about supporting their teams and, hoping to be seen on television, they often go to great lengths to display it. Some dress up in borderline absurd outfits, some wear almost nothing at all, and there are even those that paint their bodies and faces. Collected below are some of the top fans from 10 different countries who have participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

England

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England's football fans are known for their blatant 'hooliganism.' The stereotypical traveling England fan is a beer-swilling, tattooed lout with an appetite for hurling anything that isn't bolted down, and this fan is proof enough. There are 3,143 hooligans that are banned from travelling for the duration of the tournament, except for this dullard who is wearing an England inspired candy necklace bikini top. Well there has been one arrest. Pavlos Joseph, 32, from south-east London, states that he stumbled upon the teams dressing room following their draw in Cape Town, while looking for a toilet. Pavlos said that he took a wrong turn while looking for the toilet near the players tunnel and opened a door and found himself in the England locker room. "I looked David straight in the eye and said: 'David, we've spent a lot of money getting here. This is a disgrace. What are you going to do about it?'" Pavlos stated. His intrusion to the locker room came 5-10 minutes Princes William and Henry had left. Beckham, during a combined interview with Princes William and Harry, said "Obviously it's been blown out of all proportion as well. The actual fan literally just walked in very casually and just said something to me and then walked out â?? there was no scuffle, there was no aggression at all." If Pavlos wasn't gonna do it, this guy was.

South Africa

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The vuvuzela has become a symbol of South African football, which South Africans say reflects the elation of its supporters. But two of the best players in the entire world have expressed criticism over the ubiquitous horn's usage. Argentina's Lionel Messi has complained that the sound is inhibiting communication among players on the pitch, while Portugal's Cristiano Rondaldo has said that the sound of the vuvuzela's has disturbed the team's concentration.

Mexico

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Mexico football fans can be seen throughout the stadiums of South Africa sporting traditional headdresses and bathing themselves in Mexican flags. Mexico's national team saw a couple of turbulent years where they went through three coaches, and more than 60 players donned the green jersey. Now that things have calmed down, it is believed that this 2010 World Cup squad may be the finest Mexico has ever put together. During the Mexico games there was a flood of Mexico soccer fans packing restaurants and bars all throughout the streets of Los Angeles in support of their team, support that has drawn more attention to soccer showing that the popularity of soccer in North America may not rest solely on the shoulders of the United States, because we all know Canada isn't going to help.

Japan

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The Japanese are known for their youth dressing up in essentially inexplicable outfits, far surpassing popular American culture in their downright audacity. Japan is ranked 45th in the world by FIFA, and performed surprisingly well in this World Cup, reaching the Round of 16 for the first time on foreign soil. To try and help ease everyone's distaste of the dreaded vuvuzela's, which have caused enough distraction on the pitch already this world cup, Japanese fans have now brought a whole new level of strange to the stands. These fans are wearing what appear to be futuristic space suits fashioned afters eggs, adorned with the teams colors and Japan's signature 'rising sun.' The only problem is that one of them did not get the memo and is still blowing his vuvuzela. Those crazy Japanese, what will they think of next if their team ever makes it to the final round of the World Cup?

Greece

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The Greeks are not exactly known for their scoring prowess, and they don't have a star player on their roster. Alas, that does not stop their fans from dressing up like Greek demi-gods complete with shield, cape, and slathered in body paint. They want to show support for their team and to bring glory to Greeks everywhere around the world, and especially in South Africa. Their coach, Otto Rehaggel, wants to do the same. He is an excellent coach who is able to wring out every last bit of talent from an ordinary squad. Rehaggel led the Greeks to glory with a 1-0 victory over Portugal in Euro 2004, and led them to their first World Cup Finals since 1994, a 16 year hiatus. Epicurus, a Greek philosopher (BC 341-270) has put it best; â??The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.â??

Portugal

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With one of the best footballers in the world as the captain for your team, you can never be too old, or seemingly bored, to show your support. Whether it's his ball-handling skills or his devastating good looks, Cristiano Ronaldo gets hearts racing and blood pumping every time he touches the ball. Ronaldo plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid, and serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. He is featured in numerous ad campaigns including the new Nike commercials. Ronaldo is also the highest paid footballer in the world, with just his transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid being worth �£80 million, and his contract with Real Madrid being worth �£11 million per year. Portugal fans have a lot to be excited about, they just may not show it off very well.

Brazil

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Brazil is a country that goes absolutely bonkers for their team. In Brazil, football is known as The Beautiful Game, and they represent their love for the art of the game. Brazil is the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, winning the championship five times, and are currently ranked first by FIFA. It is often said about football that, "The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it." Watching the Brazilian team play is a pleasure, their style is very fluid and their dribbling skills are unrivaled. Having just passed through the Group Stages of the tournament and into the knockout rounds before their final group game, Brazilian fans in South Africa will have their pick of vuvuzelas to root on their team with.

Germany

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German football fans are known for the radical support they show of their national team. During the German soccer matches, supporters paint themselves in black, red, and yellow. Before the start of the tournament, the German team was dealt a massive blow when their captain, Michael Ballack, was ruled out of the FIFA World Cup with an ankle injury. During the FA Cup final, the Chelsea midfielder endured a hard tackle and underwent an MRI to assess the damage. The scan showed ligament damage to his right ankle, and the earliest he can be back in action is eight weeks. Even with Ballack out, German fans are still up to their body painting antics, and ferocious support.

Netherlands

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People around the world know that Netherlands football fans are ardent supporters of their national team. The Bavaria Beer company also supports Dutch football. During the Netherlands vs. Denmark match, a group of 36 Dutch female fans disguised themselves in Denmark gear, only to take to the stands and strip off their Denmark colors to reveal orange mini dresses in support of Holland, and promoting Bavaria Beer. The orange dresses are widely available in Holland because they are part of a promotion in which customers get a free dress when they buy a pack of beer. The World Cup happens to be sponsored by Budweiser, and the guerilla tactics displayed by Bavaria violates FIFA's strict marketing laws, but hell, they looked very nice while they did it.

United States

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"Soccer" (known as football to the rest of the world) is growing rapidly in popularity in the United States. Some American fans have even made the long and arduous trek to South Africa to root on the red, white, and blue. In typical United States fashion, they are prone to go above and beyond when showing support of their team. Some have taken to strictly covering themselves in stars and stripes. Supporters are also donning Uncle Sam hats, Elvis sunglasses and sideburns, and wild displays of different types of Americana. â??It was incredible to play with so many people supporting us from the stands,â?? said United States star Landon Donovan. They may just be able to make "soccer" popular here back in the states.

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