2010 World Cup South Africa Travel Information
The 2010 World Cup Soccer (football) event is taking place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July. Find out how to buy tickets; where the World Cup Stadiums are and how to get there; what World Cup tours are on offer; how to get to South Africa, how to stay safe during the World Cup, and more.
Tickets to the 2010 World Cup
Tickets for the World Cup are on sale now, but getting a ticket is complicated. The final Ticket Sales Phase is the Minute Sales Phase and will take place from 15 April to 11 July. South Africans can now buy tickets in South Africa (non residents may do so as well. Tickets can be bought in person at Shoprite stores and First national Bank branches. For fans living outside South Africa, you can buy tickets online with a credit card as long as they are still available.
It’s best to check FIFA’s web site for all these ticketing details and how to apply online.
To make things easier for you, there are official tour companies that have had to go through a special lottery system to get tickets. They are listed on page two and offer 2010 World Cup packages that include match tickets, accommodations and flights.
What Teams are playing in the World Cup?
32 teams qualified to play in the World Cup. Teams have been split into 8 groups and they will play each team in their group during the first round of the tournament, known as “the Group stage”. Here they are:
Group A South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay and France
Group B Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic and Greece
Group C England, USA, Algeria and Slovenia
Group D Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana
Group E Netherlands, Denmark, Japan and Cameroon
Group F Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia
Group G Brazil, Korea DPR, Cote d’Ivoire and Portugal
Group H Spain, Switzerland, Honduras and Chile
When to book flights to South Africa
Currently 2 airlines offer direct flights to South Africa from the US, Delta and South African Airways. Several European airlines fly direct to South Africa from London (BA and Virgin Atlantic), Amsterdam (KLM), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), and Paris (Air France).
You can also fly via the Middle East, through Dubai (Emirates); from Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific); Varig flies direct to South Africa from Brazil and Qantas flies from Sydney.
If you get a package tour together then this will usually include a flight and that way you should be able to guarantee yourself a seat.
If you’re really stuck getting a flight into South Africa, try flights to Windhoek in Namibia (via Frankfurt) or Gaborone in Botswana (via London), both of these cities are a bus ride away from either Cape Town or Johannesburg. You can also try flying in to Nairobi (Kenya) and catching a regional flight down from there on Kenya Airways or South African Airways.
For more regional possibilities, check out my African Airlines pages for ideas.
Where Will the Matches Take Place?
The 2010 World Cup will play out in ten stadiums across South Africa (see map). Many are currently under construction in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (2 stadiums), Mangaung/Bloemfontein, Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, “>Nelspruit, Polokwane, Rustenburg, and Tshwane/Pretoria.
Look for accommodation and flights into Johannesburg if you want to see matches in Johannesburg, Rustenburg, Pretoria and Nelspruit. These are all situated in the north of South Africa and the stadiums won’t be more than a 3 hour drive away. Polokwane (Pietersburg) is about 5 hours from Johannesburg and is considered one of the safest towns in South Africa.
Bloemfontein is in the middle of the country and will host several matches in the Free State Stadium. Bloemfontein is a small city of approximately 370,000 people and the judicial capital of South Africa.
Durban lies on the warm Indian Ocean coast, it has fantastic beaches, excellent surfing, lots of culture and a good nightlife.
Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautiful cities is on the southern tip of the country where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. You can fly directly into Cape Town from several European destinations. read more
Port Elizabeth lies in between Cape Town and Durban on the coast in a region called the Eastern Cape. This is a popular tourist area and there are lots of domestic flights available. A perfect place from which to explore the popular Garden Route.
