Research shows that heart attacks more than tripled for German men and almost doubled for German women during the 2006 World Cup. Which means that - extrapolating out beyond those sample citizens - June 2010 is going to put some serious strain on football fans' hearts worldwide.
Indeed, while our pre-World Cup includes discussing team preparation and debating our chances in the almost-group-of-death, we should perhaps be checking that our hearts are in healthy, working order.
Even more so those of us who are highly anticipating another heart-stopping event in the month prior to the heart-straining 2010 World Cup in June: the 2010 Women's Asian Cup in May, which handily - and heart-stressingly - doubles as a qualifier for the 2011 Women's World Cup.
The top three teams in the tournament will qualify for the Women's World Cup, which means that the Matildas will have to finish first or second in their group to be in with a chance. It sounds manageable until you realise that they've drawn the group-of-death-which-includes-three-of-the-top-Asian-teams Group B.
Vietnam? Dark horses and not to be underestimated.
South Korea? Up-and-comers capable of punching above their weight and felling any opponent, much like the men's team Guus Hiddink previously coached to unheard of World Cup victories.
China? Traditional women's football heavyweights and only the team with the home ground advantage urging them on.
Hard on the heart? Absolutely.
You know you're up against it when the national coach admits that it's a 'very tough draw' and the AFC Women's Committee Chairman labels the impending Group B battle 'interesting'.
But what heartens me (excuse the pun) is that, unlike previous Asian Cups and World Cup qualification campaigns, the Matildas are coming off the back of a solid season of regular and challenging competition.
The players are fit from tough, weekly W-League matches. They're used to playing with and against each other. Some of them have also had a season's worth of tactical experience in the also-strong American women's football league, the WPS.
And some of them—such as golden boot Michelle Heyman and standout-performer Teigen Allen—are getting a chance to step up to the team after being selected for training off the back of their strong, season-long performances.
Will the Matildas (and the Socceroos) have the fitness, the experience, and the nous to take their tough opponents? Quite possibly. In the interim, though, as well as poring over draws and probabilities, we should probably be trying to ensure that our hearts will cope with two whole and consecutive months of heart-stopping football.
