Checked your calendar lately? Can you believe that there are just under 9 months left to the start of one of the sporting world’s premier events?

From its humble beginnings in 1930 the Soccer World Cup has grown to be one of the most spectacular sporting events in the world. The 2010 World Cup promises to be the planet’s biggest sporting event ever, with 32 teams competing to be crowned the ultimate Champions of the ‘beautiful game’.
It was twenty-one minutes past noon on the 15th May 2004, both in Switzerland and South Africa, when the envelope containing the winning host country’s name was opened, its contents withdrawn and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter’s long-awaited words, barely audible above the noise, spoken.
With 14 votes, South Africa was declared the winner after just one round of voting.

Sitting next to Mr. Blatter, Nelson Mandela could not hold back his tears and they fell freely down his cheeks. Mandela, who had made the trip to Zurich despite not being in the best of health, hoisted the World Cup trophy. “I feel like a young man of 15,” he said to laughter. But, typically, Mandela’s first thought was for others – the people of the countries whose bids were unsuccessful: Morocco, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. He said “You must not be discouraged. It is no reflection of your efforts. Next time when you compete, you may be luckier.”

South Africa will be the 16th country and the first African country to host the World Cup.
Well over a billion people are expected to follow the month long tournament between the world’s top 32 soccer playing nations on radio and television, with estimates of anywhere between 400 000 and 1 million fans expected to make the journey to South Africa to catch the action live.

The opening ceremony will be held at Soccer City in Johannesburg on 11 June 2010 and it is guaranteed to be a show to remember.
The stadiums for the matches are nearing completion and a recent ten-day inspection tour of all ten 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums by FIFA and Organising Committee experts provided even further evidence that South Africa is well on course to delivering a memorable tournament.

“Overall we are happy with what we have seen in the facilities. Very encouraging progress has been made in particular at the six new stadiums since the last visits. They will be amazing football jewels in 2010. The great engagement from the cities proves that we are on the right track”, said Ron DelMont, Head of FIFA’s South Africa Office, who led the inspection delegation with Derek Blanckensee, the LOC’s Acting Chief Competitions Officer.

Hosting an international sporting event is not new to South Africa (previous major tournaments include: 2009 IPL cricket tournament, 2003 Cricket World Cup, 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, and the 1995 Rugby World Cup), so visitors can rest assured that our beautiful country, its people and all of its amenities are well prepared to receive the soccer teams and their entourages, the loyal supporters, and everyone else who will be coming to South Africa to share in the excitement and vibe surrounding the tournament.