World Cup 2010 South Africa

South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will use tomorrow's final warm-up match against Denmark to decide on his starting XI for the FIFA World Cup™ opener against Mexico.

Just seven days before the tournament kicks off in Johannesburg, Parreira has admitted he is still not sure what his best team is. His most pressing concern centres on who will fill in in the holding midfielder's role, with Fulham's Kagiso Dikgacoi and Thanduyise Khuboni in contention, while Tsepo Masilela and Lucas Thwala are vying for the left-back position.

On 15 May 2004, the long walk to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ started with Nelson Mandela lifting the FIFA World Cup Trophy in Zurich. 

With tears of joy in his eyes, he proclaimed that he felt "like a boy of 15" on the day South Africa was awarded the right to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Today (6 May 2010), nearly six years later, South Africa’s first democratic President, Madiba, again laid his hands on the Trophy at Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela Foundation just 35 days before kick-off of Africa’s first FIFA World Cup. For FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke and Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan, it was a very special moment to personally share this moment.

"Nelson Mandela was one of the architects of this FIFA World Cup. We will never forget the moment when South Africa was awarded the FIFA World Cup. Madiba is the symbol of this new democratic South Africa. For us there was no way that the Trophy would arrive in the country and not be brought first to Mandela”, explained Valcke. “Nelson Mandela expressed his wish that he would see Bafana Bafana win the FIFA World Cup.  We really hope that he will experience together with us the special moment celebrating South Africa’s achievements in the stadium”.

South Africa continued their build-up to this summer's tournament with an encouraging 1-1 draw against Paraguay on Wednesday evening.

The South Americans, who were missing several top European-based players, took the lead after 37 minutes through Marcelo Estigarribia, but Bafana Bafana hit back to equalize through Siphiwe Tshabalala 19 minutes from time.

The result was a distinct improvement for South Africa coming as it did against a team also qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and compared to the drab 1-1 draw played out against lowly ranked Namibia on 3 March.

Steven Gerrard is one of England’s 'golden generation' of footballers, a group, including Frank Lampard, John Terry and David Beckham, seen as the country’s best chance of winning a major international tournament for the first time since 1966.

The 29-year-old midfielder has lifted the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, League Cup and UEFA Cup in his time at Liverpool, where he has become a legend among the Reds fans as their 'Captain Fantastic'. However, the Anfield favourite has yet to taste glory at international level. Having qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ with a near-perfect record of nine wins from ten games, Gerrard is out to put that right.

Here, he talks to FIFA.com about learning from what happened in Germany in 2006, the pressure of taking part in a penalty shoot-out and the competition England will face in the group stage in South Africa.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has pledged to increase the number of World Cup tickets available to South African residents in order to ensure that the summer's finals are sold out.

It is reported that 2.1 million of 2.9 million tickets have been sold for football's showpiece event but FIFA is keen to ensure that the stadia are full to capacity for every game.

Valcke has announced that with overseas supporters not taking up their full allocations, category two and three tickets will be converted to category four seats, which are cheaper and available to South Africans.

"We will increase the number of category four tickets because we cannot have a situation where the World Cup is in South Africa and people cannot see matches," Valcke told the Telegraph. "This will bring less income to FIFA, but we have already brought in the income we need to match the organising committee budget, which is USD 423 million.''

Mandela was part of the delegation that presented South Africa’s bid to the FIFA Executive in 2004 and was present on May 15 2004 when FIFA President, Dr Joseph S Blatter, announced that South Africa had won the bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“Who will ever forget the images of him grasping the FIFA World Cup Trophy as they were beamed around the world? It is thanks to Mandela and his comrades that we as South Africans could even dare to dream about hosting the world’s biggest tournament. It is also thanks to him that the world could finally trust us to deliver this event at a worldclass level,” Jordaan said.

The fourth ticket sales phase will kick off on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 at 12.00 (Central European Time). This phase, one of the last chances for fans to make sure that they do not miss out on attending the first FIFA World Cup™ on African soil, will run for 58 days until 7 April 2010. Tickets will be allocated on a “first come, first served, subject to availability” basis. Applications can be made via http://www.fifa.com/2010 or (for South African residents only) at FNB branches.

The third ticketing sales phase for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ was finally concluded today. The 2010 FIFA World Cup Ticketing Centre has ensured that the maximum number of available tickets have been included in the random selection draw for the general public. Extensive validation of the results of the random selection draw process has been conducted in order to ensure the FIFA Sales Regulations have been adhered to.

A total of 1,206,865 tickets have been requested from 192 countries by the general public (excluding those tickets that have been sold through the participating teams to their fans). Of this total, 585,175 tickets were drawn successfully, and 413,072 (70.6 per cent) of those were allocated to South African residents.

After three of five ticketing sales phases for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ South Africa, over 2-million tickets – two-thirds of the total available – have been sold.

The third ticketing sales phase, which will conclude with a random draw for oversubscribed matches on 1 February, saw a total of 1 206 865 applications received from 192 countries.

Six matches are currently oversubscribed (in all categories), among them the semi-finals and the final. In total, 55 matches are oversubscribed in at least one category.

There was huge interest from South African residents, who accounted for 79 percent of the total applications received (958 381) in this phase. This represents an increase of 24.9 percent in applications from South African residents in the third sales phase when compared to the earlier ticketing stages.

Rumour and speculation is trickling through that ticket sales for the World Cup in June are not going as hoped and that England supporters might get an increased allocation. Surely, if this is true, it just strengthens the England Bid for 2018?

The news comes after several countries announced that they have only sold a fraction of their tickets for the event starting in just over four months.

FIFA is due to announce today the results of the third phase of ticket sales tomorrow and the talk is that they will add an additional phase to allow national associations more time to sell their tickets.

England look set to be one of the best supported nations in South Africa as the Football Association announced recently that members of Englandfans, the official supporters' club, had bought 23,000 of the official allocation of 29,000 available with half of the unsold tickets an allocation to the third-fourth place play-off match, traditionally a match that doesn't sell very quickly.

So what can we say about him? One thing is for sure, Zakumi will be first on the dancefloor and last off it at the biggest party in the world - the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. He wants to dance and entertain as many people as he can. He is an animator for fans, players and officials, for schoolchildren, teenagers and big kids alike!


Needless to say, he is extremely proud to be the Official Mascot and determined to be the best host for everyone visiting his beloved country. He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.

Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.

This time, still sponsored by Adidas, the name chosen Jabulani means 'celebration' in isiZulu, which is used as the medium by 25 percent of South Africans.

The ball was a lot of use symbols numbers 11. 11 different colors contained in this sphere which represents 11 players in each team, 11 South African official languages, isiZulu one of them, and the 11 tribes that make South Africa pretty diverse.

Ball design was created to provide a unique appearance of the spirit of Africa. Just like the outside design of Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, described the design of this ball of South Africa's colorful.

Argentinean national coach and former football star Diego Maradona has expressed his satisfaction with preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, while also dismissing security concerns and encouraging fans to come to South Africa for the tournament.

He was in the country to mainly to inspect the University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre, where the Argentinean football team will be based.

"They can say what they want but we know we are coming to play the World Cup in a safe country. I have seen that with my own eyes. Anything can happen in the world but I have spent a week in South Africa and everything is very good and the people very friendly.

"This will be a great World Cup with no doubts of security. I will tell my players that they only have to think of playing football when they come here and worry about nothing else," said Maradona, speaking at SAFA House in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"I think that it is only fair for South Africa to host the World Cup because they have deserved it for a very long time," the former Footballer of the Year and World Cup winner said.

Johannesburg - Various issues related to the purchase of tickets to the 2010 World Cup came to the surface. But, the local organizing committee (LOC) confirmed tickets will be sold in a equitable and fair.

Interestingly, these conditions actually experienced by the host football lovers. "We heard the concern in South Africa and we're studying it," said spokesman Rich Mkhondo LOC Editing by crate launched on Tuesday (19/1/2010).

"We will distribute tickets evenly. Currently, tickets can be purchased by completing the registration form at the First National Bank, or fans can submit an online purchase," said Mkhondo.

Policies buy tickets online did not solve the problem for supporters of the host. Some analysts football show, not all host football fans are familiar with the Internet and other technologies used to apply for tickets.

CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Stadium, one of the stadium reserved for the great event held World Cup South Africa 2010, has passed his first test.

Approximately 20 thousand spectators packed the stadium, the derby between Santos and Ajax Cape Town, yesterday local time. The committee also reported no problems or complaints from both clubs and the supporters.

The plan, the stadium with a capacity of 68 thousand spectators will be held eight World Cup matches, including one semi-final party.

"The event is very important, so we can anticipate shortages from now," said Carlo Scott, a former striker, top two clubs of the capital, which is ready to lead thousands of volunteers on 17 June next.

"I've felt a lot of venues across the country. I'm sure the players will enjoy the atmosphere and facilities here, "he added, quoted by SABC News, Sunday (24/1/2010).

The game between Santos and Ajax Cape Town ended without a goal, all the time regular. But finally, Santos 6-5 Ajax lowered, through the drama of penalties.

Theme Song World Cup 2010 in South Africa in MP3 Format.  
Download this theme song here

And This is two video of Theme Song World Cup 2010 in South Africa. This is high quality format. You can view in HD format. Enjoy this video.

The new stadium, named after Nelson Mandela is built for the World Cup 2010 needs. Stadium is located on the North End Lake coast, and this is the first football stadium in the city and surrounding area.

Stadium capacity is 50 000 people, and it will host, among others, match for the third place on World Cup 2010.

Nelson Mandela stadium has impressive roof and an excellent view of the North End Lake, so it will also be interesting to tourists when World Cup finishes.

Lotfus Versfeld Stadium is one of the oldest stadiums in South Africa. The first h sports competitions here are held in 1903, but the first "real" stadium has been built in 1923, when its capacity was 2000 people.

The stadium was upgraded many times, and today has capacity of 50 000 people. In addition to football, the stadium is used for rugby, but also for other sports.

This is also one of the newly-built stadiums for the World Cup 2010. Mbombela stadium is named after the province in which Nelspruit is placed. Literal translation of the Mbombela stadium name is "a lot of people in a small space".

Mbombela stadium can accommodate 46 000 people, and is placed about 12 km from the Nelspruit city center.

Nelspruit had not international stadium before this one, so Mbombela Stadium will be also very useful to residents once World Cup 2010 finishes.

Royal Bafokeng Stadium was named after the Bafokeng people who live in this area. Unlike most stadiums for the 2010 World Cup, this stadium has been built before, and it requires only minor modifications for this World Cup.

The stadium is situated 12km from the center of Rustenburg, and can accommodate 42 000 people.

Name: Peter Mokaba Stadium
Year completed: 2010
Cost: US$154,000,000
Capacity: 46,000
Home to: None designated
Trivia: The design is inspired by the iconic Baobab tree. The stadium will house 5,000 VIPs

The Peter Mokaba Stadium, named after a late local anti-apartheid campaigner and government minister, is an attractive 46,000-seater arena built in Polokwane especially for the World Cup. Adjacent to the old Mokoba arena - which held only 18,000 fans - the ground is 5km south of the city centre along Dorp Street. Shuttle buses will offer services between the stadium and downtown.

Where to go, what to see

The most northern of South Africa's World Cup venues, Polokwane's municipal motto of "naturally progressive" could not be more apt.

The site for four group games, the capital city of the Limpopo province certainly has not skimped in its preparations for the main event, investing heavily not only in the construction of a brand-new stadium but also in roads, water supply, sanitation, parking facilities, bus and taxi services and other infrastructure. If ever there was an African city looking to the future, this is it.

Situated on the Great North road to Zimbabwe, Polokwane literally means 'place of safety' and this municipality of 500,000 inhabitants certainly lives up to its name, recently given the title of the safest place in the whole country.

An ethnically-diverse city, six languages are spoken in Polokwane, with English, Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, TshiTsonga, Tshivenda and isiNdebele all in play, and the Polokwanians are known for being warm, hospitable people. In addition, they have no little civic pride, which was a key factor in their drive and determination to put on the best possible World Cup show in their back yard.

To complement the warm welcome, there should be plenty of sunshine, too. Located some 1,280 metres above sea level, Polokwane, or Pietersburg as it used to be known, tends to be dry and bright in June. Temperatures can reach 25 degrees Celsius by day, only to plummet at night.

A pleasant albeit rather understated city of wide streets, Jacaranda trees, colourful parks and sparkling fountains, Polokwane has a compact, neatly set-out centre, one that lends itself to foot patrols. Although strides have been made in the field of public transport, independent-minded visitors who want to get out and about are still best-served by hiring a car.

Served by domestic flights (SA Airlink) and international connections from neighbouring countries, Polokwane Airport, on the N1, 5km north of the city, now boasts a new terminal building and has upgraded all its amenities. All the leading car hire firms have desks there.

Translux buses from Jo'burg and Pretoria stop at Thabo Mbeki Street, right by the central Civic Square, the site of a most helpful tourist office. There are many excellent B&Bs in the city, particularly in the eastern suburbs.

One thing you can be assured of here is eating well. The Limpopo province is South Africa's richest agriculturally, specialising in fantastic fruit, vegetables, cereals and tea. Compared to what you might buy in supermarket back home, the mangoes, papayas, lychees, avocados and bananas are a class apart.

At the Farmyard Trading Post Restaurant, a country-style oasis, 5km to the east of town on Munnik Road, you are setting foot in foodie heaven. They make their own mouth-watering cheese, breads and pastries on site and serve up great meals to boot, such as the smoked chicken and mango salad and the oxtail with mash and roasted root vegetables. Its wine cellar is extraordinarily good, too.

As for steaks - which in South Africa are invariably of the mammoth variety - there's no better outpost than the Cattle Baron in the Thornhill Shopping Centre. Another popular spot for good dining is The Deck, a Mediterranean-type bistro on the corner of Pierre and Neethling streets in the suburb of Bendor. The cherry on the cake here is the great cocktails.

For a day out to remember, with sublime views of the Letaba Valley and food to match, head out to the Coach House Hotel on Old Coach Road in Tzaneen. Take the R71 east to feast on chicken and mushroom pie or a ploughman's platter to put the UK pub equivalent to shame. On Sundays, they do an outstanding buffet lunch, with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding top of the menu.

In the city's main shopping mall - the Savannah, on the eastern fringes of the city along the Tzaneen road - takeaways and chain restaurants abound and the Ocean Basket seafood chain is always a safe bet. Cafe society, too, is provided for at the mall in the shape of the Brazilian Cafe and Cafe Rossini, while the Cock 'n' Bull, a busy sports bar in the Savannah, which dishes up tasty pizzas and burgers, should also come into its own in World Cup month.

This region is a real sports breeding ground as it is the home to former South Africa football coach Trott Moloto, rugby lock Victor Matfield and golf champion Retief Goosen, and they now have a World Cup venue to complement that proud history.

From the top tier of the arena, you should be able to catch a glimpse of the giraffes, zebras and rhinos in the nearby game reserve, one of city's biggest draws. Covering 3,250 hectares, it's one of the largest municipal reserves in South Africa, providing a habitat for such animal kingdom favourites as the rare white rhino and sable antelope.

The reserve has a well-crafted network of roads, good spots to picnic and offers mountain biking, horse and hiking trails. Open 7am to 5.30pm, admission costs R14 for adults, R10 for kids and R22 per vehicle. Eden Routes (Tel: O15 263 6474) run superb half-day tours there in open-top vehicles and at R200 ($27.70), with a meal thrown in, they represent excellent value.

Those without those precious World Cup tickets should make for the video wall at the FIFA Fan Park at the Polokwane Cricket Club, which lies north-west of the Peter Mokaba arena.

Fancy a day away from the World Cup drama? South-east of town on the R37 is the fascinating Bakone Malapa Museum, a recreated village of the Northern Sotho people who lived here 300 years ago, while anyone wanting a game of chance should make for the Meropa Casino on the outskirts of the city. Besides the mandatory blackjack, roulette and slot machines, the complex also hosts a bird and snake sanctuary, go-kart racing and mini-golf.

Polokwane is a South African secret waiting to be discovered in the World Cup summer of 2010.

This newly-built stadium is located in one of the best areas in Cape Town. At Green Point stadium will be played one World Cup 2010 semi-final match.

This truly a magnificent stadium has a capacity of 70 000 seats, and after the South Africa World Cup it will be used for various sporting events such as rugby matches, but also for other cultural events in the city.

Moses Mabhida Stadium will host one World Cup 2010 semi-final match. This stadium is also a brand new stadium built for the South Africa World Cup.

The architecture of the stadium reveals a lot of symbolism, and is inspired by the South African national flag. The central arch extends over the stadium, on one side begins with two legs that comes together and end as one leg on the other side. It symbolizes the unification of formerly divided country.

Moses Mabhida Stadium is a multifunctional stadium with a capacity of 70 000 seats. The main stadium arch is 305 meters long and in the middle of the stadium reaches an impressive height of 105 meters.

How to buy Tickets

Tickets for World Cup 2010 will be sold in 5 phases. The exact dates of phases are listed below in the text. The first phase began 20 February 2009 and the last ending on 11 July 2010 - this is the last chance to buy tickets.

Do not apply the same rules for all phases, but there are two types, these are: random selection and first come - first served basis.

Random selection phases

During the phases of this type, the applications for tickets are collected. When the time expires for a phase, will be randomly selected people who will be able to buy a ticket. So, it is completely irrelevant whether you are apply in the first or last day of stage - all have an equal chance to be drawn.

First come - First served

During the phases of this type, it is important to apply as soon as possible. Sale will last until all the tickets provided for this phase are sold. Tickets will be sold in the same order that applications for tickets are arrived.

Who can buy tickets

All interested can apply for the tickets purchase, but only during the purchase phases. Applications are not possible between the two phases. Due to high demand, there will not be enough tickets for everyone who wants them. Tickets will be sold according to rules that are listed above.

 

Tickets Sale Phases

#	Begin date	End date	Phase Type
1	20 February 2009	31 March 2009	Random Selection
2	4 May 2009	16 November 2009	First Come First Served
3	5 December 2009	22 January 2010	Random Selection
4	9 February 2010	7 April 2010	First Come First Served
5	15 April 2010	11 July 2010	Random Selection

 

Source: world2010cup

The third ticketing sales of the 2010 Fifa World Cup has hit the 500 000 mark within the first ten days. A total of 386 300 of the tickets were bought by South African soccer fans, while the remaining 114 237 were bought by fans from all over the world.

Presently, the USA is leading the list of foreign countries for the sales phase with 22 942 tickets, followed by the UK 20 232, Mexico 7 981, Germany 7 697, Australia 6 277 and Brazil 4 760.

In total, ticket applications from 166 countries have been received and the figures do not include the participating member associations allocated ticket sales.

"In comparison with the previous editions of the Fifa World Cups, the latest ticket application figures are impressive," said Fifa ticketing sub-committee chairman Horst Schmidt.

Increased domestic applications

2010 Local Organising Committee (OC) CEO Danny Jordaan said the number of domestic applications had increased significantly in the third phase of ticket sales, which began on 5 December.

"By buying a ticket, South Africans are not only buying a seat to watch a match, but also their spot in South African history," he said.

In total, about one million tickets for all 64 matches and categories are made available in the third sales phase including a limited number for the opening match and the final.

All applications within the sales phase will be treated equally. In an event of over-subscribed matches or price categories, there will be an electronic random selection draw on 1 February 2010.

Ticket price ranges

The prices for group matches range from US$20 to $160 (opening match: $70 - $450; final: $150 - $900) or R140 to R1 120 (opening match: R490 - R3 150; final: R1 050 - R6 300).

The category 4 tickets, the most affordable, have been exclusively set aside for South African residents.

All 32 participating member associations have started to sell their allocated team-specific tickets which are 12% of all purchasable tickets in the stadiums for the three group games of the respective team.

These tickets are made available through specified websites operated by the respective federations. For this specific ticket sales process, applications close on 13 January 2010.

Applications for individual match tickets or team-specific tickets can be made via www.FIFA.com/2010.

South African residents also have an option to apply for tickets at FNB branches across the country. The current third ticket sales phase will run until 22 January 2010.

Source: BuaNews

Group A

Date	Venue	Teams
11 June	Johannesburg - SC	South Africa VS Mexico
11 June	Cape Town	Uruguay VS France
16 June	Pretoria	South Africa VS Uruguay
17 June	Polokwane	France VS Mexico
22 June	Rustenburg	Mexico VS Uruguay
22 June	Bloemfontein	France VS South Africa

Group B

Date	Venue	Teams
12 June	Johannesburg - EP	Argentina VS Nigeria
12 June	Port Elizabeth	Korea Republic VS Greece
17 June	Bloemfontein	Greece VS Nigeria
17 June	Johannesburg - SC	Argentina VS Korea Republic
22 June	Durban	Nigeria VS  Korea republic
22 June	Polokwane	Greece VS Argentina

Grour C

Date	Venue	Teams
12 June	Rustenburg	England VS United States
13 June	Polokwane	Algeria VS Slovenia
18 June	Johannesburg - EP	Slovenia VS USA
18 June	Cape Town	England VS Algeria
23 June	Port Elizabeth	Slovenia VS England
23 June	Pretoria	USA VS Algeria

Group D

Date	Venue	Teams
13 June	Durban	Germany VS Australia
13 June	Pretoria	Serbia VS Ghana
18 June	Port Elizabeth	Germany VS Serbia
19 June	Rustenburg	Ghana VS Australia
23 June	Johannesburg - SC	Ghana VS Germany
23 June	Nelspruit	Australia VS Serbia

Group E

Date	Venue	Teams
14 June	Johannesburg - SC	Netherlands VS Denmark
14 June	Bloemfontein	Japan VS Cameroon
19 June	Durban	Netherlands VS Japan
19 June	Pretoria	Cameroon VS Denmark
24 June	Rustenburg	Denmark VS Japan
24 June	Cape Town	Cameroon VS Netherlands

Group F

Date	Venue	Teams
14 June	Cape Town	Italy VS Paraguay
15 June	Rustenburg	New Zealand VS Slovakia
20 June	Bloemfontein	Slovakia VS Paraguay
20 June	Nelspruit	Italy VS New Zealand
24 June	Johannesburg - EP	Slovakia VS Italy
24 June	Polokwane	Paraguay VS New Zealand

Group G

Date	Venue	Teams
15 June	Port Elizabeth	Ivory Coast VS Portugal
15 June	Johannesburg - EP	Brazil VS Korea DPR
20 June	Johannesburg - EP	Brazil VS Ivory Coast
21 June	Cape Town	Portugal VS Korea DPR
25 June	Durban	Portugal VS Brazil
25 June	Nelspruit	Korea DPR VS Ivory Coast

Group H

Date	Venue	Teams
16 June	Nelspruit	Honduras VS Chile
16 June	Durban	Spain VS Switzerland
21 June	Port Elizabeth	Chile VS Switzerland
21 June	Johannesburg - EP	Spain VS Honduras
25 June	Pretoria	Chile VS Spain
25 June	Bloemfontein	Switzerland VS Honduras