Wayne Rooney has described the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the worst World Cup he experienced, arguing that the tournament never felt like the global showpiece it was meant to be.

The former England striker, who led the line for Fabio Capello’s side that year, reflected on the competition while discussing how the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico might unfold. Speaking on The Overlap, Rooney was blunt in his assessment of the only World Cup ever staged on African soil.

You are not getting worse than South Africa, Rooney said, insisting that the atmosphere around England’s campaign felt flat from the outset. He recalled the build-up to England’s opening group match against the United States as a moment that crystallised his unease.

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.

On the pitch, England’s performances did little to lift the mood. They opened with a disappointing draw against the United States, then laboured to a goalless stalemate with Algeria that drew heavy criticism back home. A narrow 1-0 win over Slovenia, sealed by Jermain Defoe, was enough to scrape into the knockout rounds behind group winners USA, but the sense of drift never really lifted.

Any lingering optimism was crushed in the round of 16, where Germany dismantled England 4-1. Rooney, who arrived in South Africa as one of England’s star names, failed to score in the tournament, emblematic of a campaign that never caught fire.

Beyond England’s struggles, South Africa 2010 produced some of the World Cup’s most dramatic and contentious moments. Ghana, carrying the hopes of a continent, reached the quarterfinals and came within a kick of becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals. In a notorious climax against Uruguay, Luis Suárez was sent off for handling the ball on the line in the final seconds of extra time. Asamoah Gyan struck the resulting penalty against the crossbar, and Uruguay went on to win the shootout, ending Africa’s last remaining challenge.

Host nation South Africa exited at the group stage, while Spain, built around their celebrated passing game, ultimately lifted their first World Cup trophy.