Guide to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

The 2010 World Cup runs from 11th June to the 11th July and will feature 32 teams from all over the globe competing for the prize of the best team in the world. A total of 64 matches will be played at 9 venues throughout South Africa. The current World Cup Holders are Italy who have to qualify for the tournament through the European Qualifying Groups.

Qualification for the 2010 Tournament
32 teams qualify for the competition, as hosts South Africa gain automatic entry, and they will play in Group A. There are 8 groups of 4 teams in the World Cup Group Stage, with the top 2 teams entering the pre determined draw for 8 second round games, and leading on to 4 quarter finals, and then 2 semi finals to decide who will meet in the final decider. In total, there will be 64 matches played in the 2010 World Cup.

Apart from the host nation, 5 other nations have already qualified for the 2010 Tournament: North and South Korea, Holland, Australia and Japan. The remainder of the qualification group stages have to be completed in Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and all places for South Africa will be confirmed by November 2009! Qualification is now at a delicate stage in all football zones!

The Final Group Stage draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be staged in Cape Town on the 4th December 2009. The draw will be a prestigious event, held in the full glare of the world's media. The draw will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Hosting Venues and Stadiums
There are 19 host cities and ten stadiums to be used for the 2010 World Cup and these are as follows:

· Johannesburg - Soccer City Stadium and Coca-Cola Park
· Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
· Cape Town - The Green Point Stadium
· Pretoria - Lotus Versfeld Stadium
· Bloemfontein - Free State Stadium
· Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
· Nelspruit - Mbombela Stadium
· Polokwane - Peter Mokaba Stadium
· Rustenberg - Royal Bafokeng Stadium

Many of the stadiums are brand new, and certainly looked impressive during the Summer Confederations Cup. The first game, its lavish opening ceremony and the tournament final will take place in the 95,000 capacity Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. The semi finals will take place in Cape Town and Durban, and the third place play off match will take place in Port Elizabeth.

The Official Mascot for the Tournament
Every World Cup has its own official mascot, and this is represented in cartoon format. The South Africa Mascot is called "Zakumi", and is a yellow leopard character with green hair, depicting the colours of the South African team. The name generated from the merging of "ZA" which is the international abbreviation for the country, and also "Kumi" which translates as the word "Ten"in African dialects.