It's MTV's World Cup of Rock! The World Cup is the greatest sporting event on the planet, a super-sized stage where legends are born with every strike of the ball, where infamy is just a moment away and where the dreams of millions live or die by the minute. That's why, in the spirit of the 2010 MTV Musical March Madness competition, we've created "The World Cup (Of Rock)," a FIFA-style tournament that takes 16 of the biggest nations — rock-wise (sorry Algeria) — and pits them against one another to determine just which is the most rockingly awesome. Heavyweights like the U.S.A., England, France and Germany are all here, but so are a handful of surprisingly strong sleeper countries. As the Cup progresses, we'll be unveiling the match-ups, and it's up to you to vote your favorites through. In the end, only one nation will be left standing: the world champion of rock.
Japan — whose soccer team is called "The Blue Samurai," which is just unbearably cool — is currently in a contentious knockout round match with Paraguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Japan's surging squad is also in action in the MTV World Cup of Rock tournament today, in the final Group C match that pits them against a strong Spanish team desperately trying to stay alive and advance.
Japan vs. Spain
The Japanese team is holding its own against fellow Group C member (and current tournament juggernaut) Germany with the assistance of some diehard enthusiasts for the nation's eclectic musical exports (they are mostly fueled by fans of metal mashers Dir En Grey, though fans of Puffy AmiYumi and Shonen Knife have also made sure their voices are heard). On the other side of the pitch, Spain is trying to desperately stay alive and advance, but they'll have an uphill battle against the Japanese. Still, the Iglesias family doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit," so perhaps they can play spoiler and keep Group C interesting. Which team will come out on top? Only you can decide!
Be sure to vote in all the games in the MTV World Cup of Rock! Which nation's stars rock the hardest and best? Only you can decide!