The ‘dead’ reason why Wayne Rooney sees the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the worst ever

Wayne Rooney’s South Africa World Cup criticism explained

Rooney, on The Overlap podcast, made his feelings clear when reflecting on the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“You are not getting worse than South Africa. That tournament never felt like a World Cup,” Rooney said.

The comment highlights how different the experience was compared to other editions, where atmosphere often defines the event.

For Rooney, that absence became the defining issue rather than anything happening on the pitch.

Wayne Rooney says lack of fans made 2010 World Cup feel ‘dead’

He expanded on that point by describing the build-up to England’s opening match.

“We were travelling to the U.S. game, the first game. It was pitch black, there were no fans. Normally at a World Cup there are fans everywhere, you feel the atmosphere. It was dead, there was nothing.

“It just didn’t feel like a World Cup at all,” Rooney concluded.

The description centres on the absence of energy typically associated with the tournament, particularly around matchdays.

It reinforces Rooney’s view that the event lacked the identity and presence expected at that level.

For him, that is what ultimately defines the 2010 World Cup, not the football itself, but how little it felt like the global event it was meant to be.