2010 World Cup

In 2010, the FIFA World Cup will head to Africa for the first time as South Africa are the hosts for the 19th edition of football’s greatest tournament - leaving the Oceania Football Confederation as the only FIFA Confederation never to have hosted the World Cup.

South Africa to host 2010 World Cup

South Africa were given the opportunity to host the 2010 World Cup as part of FIFA’s rotation policy, which has previously seen the tournament hosted by the United States in 1994, Japan/South Korea in 2002 and also the award of Brazil in 2014. This rotation policy has subsequently been scrapped by FIFA but enabled African nations the opportunity to bid to host the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa’s bid was chosen ahead of rival bids from Egypt, Morocco and Libya & Tunisia, who planned to co-host. The decision was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter at a news conference in May 2004 with South Africa earning 14 votes as opposed to Egypt’s 10.

Qualification for 2010 World Cup

32 teams will compete in the 2010 World Cup finals which will run between June 11, 2010 and July 11, 2010. As hosts, South Africa qualify automatically however, for the first time since 1934, they will be the first hosts to compete in the qualifying campaign. This is because the qualifying matches will also determine which nations compete in the 2010 African Nations Cup, for which South Africa must qualify seperately. However, South Africa’s presence in the 2010 World Cup finals is guaranteed, even if they are unsuccessful in their qualifying campaign.

Europe will be awarded 13 of the 32 places for the finals. The nine group winners will go automatically into the finals while the eight best group runners up will compete in two legged play-offs to determine the remaining four places.

South America will receive four automatic qualifying places with the 5th place team from the CONMEBOL qualifying section competing against the fourth placed CONCACAF team (North American section). The African section will receive 6 places, including South Africa’s automatic place. The remaining five places will be taken by the top four Asian teams and the winner of a play-off between the fifth place Asian team and the leading Oceania qualifier.

2010 World Cup Venues

There will be ten venues in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup finals, with a minimum capacity of 42,000 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium and a maximum capacity of 104,000 at Soccer City in Johnnesbury.

The majority of stadiums require to be upgraded or reconstructed and there have been many worries that they would not be completed in time, with FIFA even threatening to move the tournament away from South Africa if they did not provide assurances that work would be completed in time.

FIFA Threat of Relocation of 2010 World Cup

As a result of doubts over the preparations for the World Cup in South Africa, FIFA have been rumoured to be considering moving the 2010 finals to another location. Many FIFA executives and influential people in the football world, including German legend Franz Beckenbauer, have publicly expressed their concern over the progress being made by the South African authorities.

While FIFA have publicly claimed that the event would only be moved in the event of a natural disaster, rumours continue to circulate about possible intentions. Sepp Blatter has admitted that a contingency plan is in place, but stressed that this is normal and that such plans existed for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

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