Monday, January 4, 2010

Lets Go!!!!!! South Africa World Cup

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Better now to reserve your tickets than later. Fingers crossed and putting it in the atmosphere but djing out there is gonna be superb. I hear they like house and afrobeat real tough. Tickets for the World Cup are on sale now, but getting a ticket is complicated. There are 5 distinct "Ticket Sales Phases". The period from 20 February 2009 to 7 April 2010 is divided into 4 separate Ticket Sales Phases during which ticket applications are processed.


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If tickets are oversubscribed, your application will get put into a lottery and drawn at random. If tickets are available, you will qualify on a first come first served basis. FIFA notifies you a few months after each phase ends, as so whether you actually got a ticket or not.

The 5th and final Ticket Sales Phase is referred to as the “Last Minute Sales Phase” and will take place from 15 April to 11 July 2010.

It's best to check FIFA's web site for all these ticketing details and how to apply online. A handy FAQ section will also help you figure out how many tickets you can apply for, if you can buy tickets in South Africa upon arrival, etc.

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 have qualified to play in the World Cup. The 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. Click here for information about getting to and from Johannesburg's international Airport.

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.

Getting Around to Matches

All the towns and cities that will host World Cup matches have airports close by. South Africa's domestic carriers include:

  • South African Express offers 13 South African domestic flights.
  • Airlink offers mainly domestic flights within South Arica but is starting to branch out regionally as well.
  • Kulula is a low-cost airline operating domestically as well as regionally. Routes include Cape Town, Durban, George, Harare and Lusaka.
  • Mango Airlines launched in December 2006 and flies to several destinations within South Africa including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein.
  • Venture Air offers scheduled domestic destinations and charter services. Scheduled flights include Kruger, Cape Town, Plettenberg, Johannesburg and more.
  • 1Time offers low-cost flights within South Africa and to Zanzibar.

Renting a car is a good option if you're planning to attend matches in different cities. South Africa's roads are among the best on the continent and there are many car rental options to choose from. Read more...

Taxis, coaches (buses), and regular buses will be plying the routes from hotels to stadiums. Thousands of extra vehicles will be in place during the event.

Fan Parks

If you can't afford a ticket to a match but want to soak up the atmosphere, 10 fan parks are being planned for. The locations of these fan parks are not official, but here's a list of parks that would make obvious contenders. World Cup Tours

2 comments:

OKO said...

How much are tickets...I gotta be there!!!!!

Anonymous said...

good read, post more!