When does the 2010 Fifa World Cup begin and how long will it last?

The first game kicks off at Soccer City stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa, on 11 June 2010 and the tournament runs through 11 July 2010. (The final will also be held at Soccer City, Johannesburg).

Is the world interested?

The 2006 World Cup in Germany was the most extensively viewed event in television history. The Fifa Football World Cup is the world’s biggest single-code sporting event in terms of television audience, bigger than the Olympic Games.

When and where will the final draw take place?

Cape Town to host the tournament’s final draw on December 4 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The draw, which is expected to be broadcast in almost 200 countries and attended by about 2,000 guests and around 800 media representatives, will determine the match order for the world’s top 32 teams who will contest Africa’s first Fifa World Cup.

Where in South Africa will the games being played?

2010 Fifa World Cup matches will be held in 10 stadiums: two in Johannesburg and one in each of the other eight host cities.

Which cities are hosting matches?

Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, Nelspruit and Polokwane.

How many matches?

Together, 64 matches will take place in 10 stadiums.

How many spectators?

More than 570,000 people are expected to watch live.

How many tickets will be available?

About 3 million for the 64 matches. One third will be allocated to South African football fans, another million to international visitors, and the third million to sponsors, teams and the “Fifa family.”

What if you can’t get tickets?

The 2010 World Cup promises to be a huge South African jol (a party). Giant screens will be set up in public viewing areas. You can also watch in pubs, restaurants and sports bars.

What is Bafana Bafana?

The South African national football team. Bafana Bafana means “the boys, the boys” in isiZulu. Fans came up with the nickname during the 1996 African Nations Cup (also held in South Africa). Since the end of apartheid and South Africa’s sporting isolation, Bafana Bafana have twice qualified for the Fifa World Cup, in 1998 and 2002.