subject: The 2010 World Cup [print this page] The 2010 World Cup The 2010 World Cup
South Africa is going to host the 2010 World cup and tension is reaching breaking point. Already hosting pre-cup games the stadiums are completed. South Africa will benefit long after the final ball has been kicked and the last match has been played, big upgrades in the transport and hospitality sectors have come on line and the rainbow nation is ready.
This exciting international event takes place on African soil and this is the very first time this has happened. The reason for this is an open question, as the fact is South Africa has had success with hosting both the 2003 World Cricket Cup and the 1997 World Rugby Cup, as well as internationally competitive African teams such as Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon all of which have a pretty good chance of winning the FIFA trophy.
Of reaching the finals South Africa's hopes are not considered the best, the nature of soccer cup competitions, and in particular the FIFA, is that it is possible for any team to win, and therefore, if the gold is taken by the host country, it will not be the first to do so. Even though many of the matches are going to be played in the urban hubs of Durban and the Soweto/ Cape Town/ Pretoria Metropolis/ Johannesburg, as ten stadiums are established across the country, South Africa has ensured a greater spread of benefits. They all compare with any soccer stadium in the world, and meet with FIFA standards in relation to crowd comforts, team, safety.
The three most high profile stadiums are Johannesburg (Ellis Park Stadium, 61,000 seats), Johannesburg (Soccer City, 88,000 seats), and Tshwane / Pretoria (Loftus Versveld Stadium, 49,000 seats). In South Africa's central urban Metropolis, these three stadiums, will be hosting three rounds of sixteen, two quarter finals, and the very important final game at Soccer City that takes place in Soweto. In moments that are between these interesting matches, international soccer fans will be given the chance to check out exciting African city life and the game reserves that lie beyond.
The three soccer venues on South Africa's western and southern coastal strip - Durban (Durban Stadium, 69,000 seats), Cape Town (Green Point Stadium, 66,000 seats) and Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, 46,000 seats) although not getting a benefit from the final game, will even so, host three rounds of sixteen, two quarter finals, and two semi final matches. Out beyond these soccer stadiums, tourist destinations such as Addo Elephant Park, Cape Winelands, and the amazing Drakensberg Mountains are waiting, where commiserations or match celebrations will be held.
The four stadiums that remain Polokwane (Peter Mokaba Stadium, 45,000 seats) Mangaung / Bloemfontein (Free State Stadium, 45,000 seats), Rustenburg (Royal Bafokeng Stadium, 44,000 seats) and Nelspruit (Mbombela Stadium, 43,000 seats) have a lot more to offer than just two rounds of sixteen between them. Near conservation areas are where they are located such as the Blyde River Canyon, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, the legendary Rustenburg protected areas, and surrounding areas of incredible natural beauty, and there is also, in Kruger National Park, the big herds of game.
