The 12 teens who win the trip of a lifetime to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa will parade the flags of the nations of Brazil, Italy, the Ivory Coast, and Slovakia when they take up official FIFA Flag Bearer duties in the first round of matches during the competition.

The teens will perform their functions at matches 29 and 41, respectively, when Italy will take on Slovakia and football heavyweights Brazil tackle the Ivory Coast. The matches are in groups F and G, respectively.

During the 18 FIFA World Cup tournaments that have been held, seven nations have won the title, and Brazil are the only team to have played in every tournament and have won the World Cup a record five times. The Italians are the current champions and have won four titles.

The teens will also be a part of history when they parade Slovakia’s flag, as this is the first time the nation has qualified for an international tournament. A fairytale run during the Qualifying campaign for South Africa saw the Slovaks defeat arch rivals the Czech Republic in Prague 2-1, and impressive wins home and away to Poland made certain that the Slovaks would make it to South Africa for their first major tournament as an independent nation.

Older and wiser than at the last World Cup, Ivory Coast could become the first African team to be a genuine threat for the trophy in 2010. Already their qualification has united a nation deeply divided by religious and ideological strife and tension, and Les Elephants, as the team is called, are raring to show the world their mastery of football.

Country manager for Coca-Cola in Jamaica, Chris Hardy, says that the matches were sure to be exciting encounters and that “the 12 teens who are eventually selected are sure to have the time of their lives. They will be carrying the flags of champions”. He added that the experience for the teens will not end after they have paraded flags on the football field.

“It’s not a case where after their flag-bearing duties are finished we will whisk them back to the hotel. The teens will be able to actually watch the match from VIP seats in the stadium, which in and of itself is a fantastic experience. How many of their friends will be able to say that they watched a Brazil match live and in living colour?”

The Coca-Cola Flag Bearer competition is open to Jamaicans between the ages of 12-16, who must be a registered student in a Jamaican high school. To enter the competition, persons will have to write their names on the back of a label of a Coca-Cola product along with their age and the name of the host country for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The completed label must be put in a drop box at a participating secondary school.

Coca-Cola has been associated with FIFA and the World Cup since the 1950s and they are the one and only beverage partner for the event.

“Coca-Cola is not only a global partner with FIFA but we are also the longest running partner with FIFA. As a brand, we are committed to making people happy all over the world,” Hardy explained.

The Coca-Cola Company has had a formal association with FIFA since 1974 and an official sponsorship of FIFA World Cupª that began in 1978. The beverage company has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cupª since 1950 and is a long-time supporter of football at all levels.