The newly built Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is the first football dedicated stadium in Port Elizabeth and surrounding areas.  Before the construction of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium, all international football matches scheduled for Port Elizabeth were played at the Eastern Province Rugby Stadium.  The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is situated close to the picturesque North End Lake in the heart of the city.

The unique roof of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was specially designed to withstand the high wind speeds found in Port Elizabeth.  The roof is made up of a series of white “petals”, thus resembling a flower.  This is the reason for the stadium’s nickname, The Sunflower.  The playing surface of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is made of natural grass, while the areas surrounding the pitch consist of artificial turf.  State-of-the-art technology as well as two big screens further enhances the appearance of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has a capacity of 45,000 with a further 4,000 seats to be installed for the duration of the 2010 Soccer Finals.  A number of private boxes, VIP suites, business suites, a sports clothing shop, a gymnasium, as well as lecture and function rooms will all be available at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. 

During the 2010 Soccer Finals, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will host five first round matches, a second round match, a quarter final, as well as the third-place playoff match. 

Games scheduled for Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium:

12 June 2010

Match: Korea Republic vs Greece

Time: 16:00

15 June 2010

Match: Ivory Coast vs Portugal

Time: 16:00

18 June 2010

Match: Germany vs Serbia

Time: 13:30

21 June 2010

Match: Chile vs Switzerland

Time: 16:00

23 June 2010

Match: Slovenia vs England

Time: 16:00

26 June 2010

Match: Winner A vs Runner up B

Time: 16:00

02 July 2010

Match: Winner 5 vs Winner 7

Time: 16:00

10 July 2010

Match: Loser 1 vs Loser 2

Time: 20:30

This article forms part of The Ultimate South African Tourist Guide White Paper.  It is an essential guide to any tourist who has the opportunity to explore South Africa, containing all the information you could possibly need to ensure your stay is an enjoyable one.  Featuring the best restaurants, accommodation, spots to shop, attractions and much more, all listed according to the specific region in question, this guide will be the ultimate in assisting your travels.  It is available to those members of the public who are interested in purchasing a piece of land in South Africa, and subsequently becoming a shareholder of land in South Africa. Visit http://www.ageofafrica.co.za to find out more about this project.

The qualification process for the 2010 Soccer Finals has finally concluded as all 32 participating teams have been determined.  Dreams renewed, hearts broken, tears shed, it is all over.  There are not a lot of surprises as all the favourites such as England, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and Germany will be in action.  Although some of the major nations such as Argentina, France, and Portugal struggled at times, in the end they made it to soccer’s showpiece event.  Something special about the 19th Soccer Finals is the fact that all previous winners of the competition will be in action in South Africa. 

Below are all the teams from the different confederations of world soccer which qualified for the 2010 Soccer Finals:

Europe

Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland

South America

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

North & Central America, Caribbean

Honduras, Mexico, USA

Africa

Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa (hosts)

Asia

Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea

Oceania

New Zealand

This article forms part of The Ultimate South African Tourist Guide White Paper.  It is an essential guide to any tourist who has the opportunity to explore South Africa, containing all the information you could possibly need to ensure your stay is an enjoyable one.  Featuring the best restaurants, accommodation, spots to shop, attractions and much more, all listed according to the specific region in question, this guide will be the ultimate in assisting your travels.  It is available to those members of the public who are interested in purchasing a piece of land in South Africa, and subsequently becoming a shareholder of land in South Africa. Visit http://www.ageofafrica.co.za to find out more about this project.

Thirty-two national football teams representing the six FIFA Confederations will be in action at the 2010 Soccer Finals in South Africa.  A total of sixty-four Soccer Finals matches will be played over a period of four weeks, stretching from 11 June 2010 to 11 July 2010.  The games will take place in nine host cities.  The group stage of 2010 Soccer Finals will consist of 32 soccer teams over 8 groups, after which the following stages will be knockout games.  There will be 48 first round matches, eight matches in the round of 16, four quarter finals, two semi finals, a third place match and a final.

This article forms part of The Ultimate South African Tourist Guide White Paper.  It is an essential guide to any tourist who has the opportunity to explore South Africa, containing all the information you could possibly need to ensure your stay is an enjoyable one.  Featuring the best restaurants, accommodation, spots to shop, attractions and much more, all listed according to the specific region in question, this guide will be the ultimate in assisting your travels.  It is available to those members of the public who are interested in purchasing a piece of land in South Africa, and subsequently becoming a shareholder of land in South Africa. Visit http://www.ageofafrica.co.za to find out more about this project.

Investment towards Airport Upgrades

Both international and national airports within the borders of South Africa will be ready for the influx of visitors expected in the country for the 2010 Soccer Finals. It is expected that the airport updates are moving along such pace that all airport updates will be completed long before the first game kicks off. This assurance was given by Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) when the company released its financial results earlier. A capital expenditure budget of R5.2 billion has been spent as of 2005 through to 2009. Most of this money has been used at the country’s three international airports, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The airport upgrades include facility upgrades that are essential for 2010 but will largely be used to maintain world-class standards in aviation and tourism long after the conclusion of Soccer Finals 2010.

Airport Upgrades planned prior to World Cup Announcement

It is interesting to note that much of the airport upgrades, more specifically the infrastructural upgrades, had been planned long before South Africa won the rights to host the Soccer Finals. The awarding of the tournament to South Africa, however, has meant an acceleration and bringing forward of capital expenditure programmes planned for future regulatory cycles beyond 2010. The experience of previous hosts indicated that the event would attract increased numbers of foreign visitors, not only during the weeks of the event itself but also in the months and years leading up to 2010. Apart from having to be equipped to cope with the increased traffic demands, ACSA airports will also have to take account of future and long-term infrastructure requirements which go beyond the Soccer Finals. All airport upgrades are scheduled around long-term requirements and not specifically for the Soccer Finals.

Increased Capacity part of Airport Upgrades
The OR Tambo International Airport will be the main beneficiary of the airport upgrades. The airport’s central terminal development will cost an estimated R1.6-billion. This facility will also include a terminus for the Gautrain, a high-speed train which is to link the airport to Johannesburg, Sandton and Pretoria. Construction on the Gautrain is in an advanced phase. Other construction planned for the airport includes two multi-story parkades, additional aircraft parking aprons, and facilities for the new Airbus A380. Cape Town and Durban International Airports will also be receiving airport upgrades to their terminals, parking and aircraft facilities. Airport upgrades and new facilities have not been limited to the international airports though. A sum of money has also been invested in refurbishments at various national airports during the last couple of years, with provision for temporary facilities during the tournament itself.

Safety measures have been an issue ever since the 2010 Soccer Finals was awarded to South Africa. Even though the recent Confederations Cup in South Africa was a success as far as safety and safety measures are concerned, recent crowd control issues in other African countries have sparked concern when it comes to the situation in South Africa. Organizers of the tournament are hopeful that the same would not take place in the host country.

Safety Measures put in place for 2010 FIFA World Cup

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC), together with the relevant law enforcement agencies, has put solid safety measures in place to ensure the safety of not only the players and officials, both inside and outside the match venues, but also the thousands of spectators and media officials attending the tournament. The Local Organizing Committee, headed by Danny Jordaan, maintains that all concerned parties will be safe during the duration of the tournament. It is important that the Local Organizing Committee and law enforcement agencies do not only focus on implementing safety measures at stadiums, but general safety as well. It is expected that around 41 000 police personnel will be deployed for the 2010 Soccer Finals alone, with an average of 7000 police officers at each game to be played.

Safety Measures to ensure a Safe and Incident Free 2010 FIFA World Cup

One of the new safety measures put in place is to ask fans to arrive early for matches. For this reason, the gates will open three hours prior to kickoff. If fans arrive early on match day, they can go through the various security checks and thus get into the stadiums safely. Representatives of all competing Soccer Finals nations will also be briefed on the various safety measures. Only the best safety practices and safety measures will be adopted in order to ensure a safe and incident free 2010 Soccer Finals. A whole lot of issues, including crowd control issues and rowdy fans, will test the different safety measures to be put in place.