[ChuckFan]

Welcome To The '2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa' Thread



About The FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, because of World War II.

The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month – this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s). The World Cup is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 final. - Wikipedia.

About The Host Country: South Africa



The Republic of South Africa, also known by other official names, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. The South African coast stretches 2,798 kilometres and borders both the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

South Africa is known for its diversity in cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. Eleven official languages are recognised in the constitution. English is the most commonly spoken language in official and commercial public life; however, it is only the fifth most-spoken home language. South Africa is ethnically diverse, with the largest Caucasian, Indian, and racially mixed communities in Africa. - Wikipedia.

Useful Links

World Cup 2010 - World Cup 2010 from South Africa
FIFA.com - The Official Website of the FIFA World Cup™

The Host Cities



The 10 Stadiums

Johannesburg, Gauteng - Soccer City Stadium: 94,700 Seater
Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal - Moses Mabhida Stadium: 70,000 Seater
Cape Town, Western Cape - Green Point Stadium: 69,070 Seater
Johannesburg, Gauteng - Coca-Cola Park: 62,567 Seater
Pretoria, Gauteng - Loftus Versfeld Stadium: 51,760 Seater
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium: 48,000 Seater
Bloemfontein, Free State - Free State Stadium: 48,000 Seater
Polokwane, Limpopo - Peter Mokaba Stadium: 46,000 Seater
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga - Mbombela Stadium: 44,000 Seater
Rustenburg, Northwest - Royal Bafokeng Stadium: 42,000 Seater

South Africa's 3 Main Host Cities

JOHANNESBURG



Soccer City Stadium (under construction)



DURBAN



Moses Mabhida Stadium (under construction)



CAPE TOWN



Green Point Stadium (under construction)




LIVE STADIUM WEBCAM FEEDS

View Webcam Feeds Here


Ticket Purchase Information



During Sales Phases 1, 2, 3 and 4 non residents of South Africa (i.e. members of the International General Public) can apply for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ tickets in the following ways:

1. Online

Visit the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ ticketing website at FIFA.com and apply for tickets using one of your payment methods that are accepted by FIFA and are authorized by your issuing bank to transact online.

2. Paper Ticket Application Form

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Ticket Application Forms are available in a downloadable PDF version via the ticketing webpage of FIFA.com

Once completed, you can return your Ticket Application Form to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Ticketing Centre via post or fax.
- Address: Aurorastrasse 100, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
- Fax: +41 43222 6800 (Please send only the ticket order form section of the Ticket Application Form).

Currently Qualified Teams - 6/32

South Africa - Host
Australia
Japan
South Korea
North Korea
Netherlands

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Elimination Website

[ChuckFan]

Currently Qualified Teams - 6/32

South Africa - Host
Australia
Japan
South Korea
North Korea
Netherlands

[B.Davis-Baker]

Wow the stadiums look really good. Less than a year away.

[ChuckFan]

Yeah, 358 days to be exact...

[B.Davis-Baker]

I'm excited. I don't think everyone that is expected to be there will actually be there. I have a feeling there will be at least one upset.

[ChuckFan]

Yes, I know. Well I suppose that's the game hey. You win some and you lose some. Hopefully the teams that have worked hard and have done well in the past can pull up their socks and make it to 2010.

Update:

Currently Qualified Teams - 5/32

Australia
Japan
Korea Republic
Netherlands
South Africa

[Natasha122]

I really hope England can make it this time!

[B.Davis-Baker]

I hope Spain can make it to the final this time.

[ChuckFan]

Originally Posted by B.Davis-Baker (View Post) I hope Spain can make it to the final this time.

Surely they got pretty far during the World Cup in Germany, not?

[NikNak]

Sheldon- Thanks for starting the thread here at Sports for the World Cup fans. The opening post looks wonderful. You did a great job with it.

Have fun here, everyone!

[ChuckFan]

Originally Posted by NikNak (View Post) Sheldon- Thanks for starting the thread here at Sports for the World Cup fans. The opening post looks wonderful. You did a great job with it. Have fun here, everyone!

Thanks, still going to do some work on it.

[B.Davis-Baker]

Originally Posted by ChuckFan (View Post) Surely they got pretty far during the World Cup in Germany, not?

No, they didn't even make it to the quarter finals.

[BearDogg-X]

Looking at the standings, I think that England will lock up a World Cup spot with one more win. Next game is vs. Croatia on Sept. 9th.

I hope Team USA can get in and do better than they did in Germany.

You can add Korea DPR(North Korea) to the list of qualified teams. Earlier today, they drew with Saudi Arabia 1-1 and coupled with Iran's draw against Korea Republic(South Korea), finished 2nd in Asia Group B.

Saudi Arabia will play Bahrain(the two 3rd place teams in their groups) in a playoff to determine who will play Oceania champ New Zealand in another playoff for a World Cup spot.


How the spots are determined in qualifying:

South Africa automatically in as host nation
Asia gets 4 spots(the two group winners and the two 2nd place teams), the two 3rd place teams play each other in a playoff and the winner plays Oceania champion in a playoff for a spot
Africa gets 5 spots(5 group winners)
Europe gets 13 spots(9 group winners, the top eight runners-up will be paired up in playoffs for the other four spots)
North America/Central America/Caribbean(CONCACAF) gets 3 spots, the 4th place team plays the 5th place South American team in a playoff for a spot
South America gets 4 spots

I thought the defending champion got in automatically as well.

[B.Davis-Baker]

I think England will secure a spot too as well as Spain, Germany, Italy, and Holland. France isn't doing too good right now so I'm not sure about them. Brazil will get in and Argentina too. I think USA will make it in but they need to up their game because right now they're playing teams that will be in the World Cup and they can't hold them off. Maybe tomorrow they'll win against Brazil though because Brazil didn't have that great a game against Egypt.

[ChuckFan]

Originally Posted by B.Davis-Baker (View Post) No, they didn't even make it to the quarter finals.

Oh, well they're playing pretty well in the 2009 Confederations Cup at the moment. So hopefully Spain can make it. I would like to see them there!

Originally Posted by BearDogg-X (View Post) You can add Korea DPR(North Korea) to the list of qualified teams. Earlier today, they drew with Saudi Arabia 1-1 and coupled with Iran's draw against Korea Republic(South Korea), finished 2nd in Asia Group B.

Thanks for the update. Added it.