Review: Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa


Review: Soccer World Cup 2010 in South Africa

When the 2006 World Cup was surprisingly awarded to Germany, the faces of the South African delegation were long, as they had but the favorite for hosting the football World Cup thought. Not least because there had never been a World Cup or an Olympiad on the African continent before and the people of Africa heard from all sides that they had their turn in the meantime.

But even this disappointment took a good turn, because in this way South Africa was quasi for the orientation in 2010, even if the fight vote against the also applying Morocco with 14:10 votes again narrow. The joy in South Africa was accordingly great, and so were the efforts to make the country fit for the visit of thousands of people from all over the world.

The organizers in South Africa built or renovated World Cup-ready stadiums in the cities of Johannesburg (2 stadiums), Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Nelspruit and Rustenburg. All were finished on time, as many infrastructural facilities as railway lines or hotels. At the time of the opening game between hosts South Africa and Mexico, nothing stood in the way of a colorful and cheerful football festival. And it became a good tournament.

Sporty mixed, atmospherically successful

Although the selection of South Africa as the first host of a World Cup did not even exceed the preliminary round – Ghana played in the hearts of the African and many other spectators. Only in the quarter-finals was in a dramatic game on penalties final for the last of six African representatives. The other teams, just South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast also left prematurely.

European champions Spain, considered by many to be the top favorite, had a hard time entering the tournament, with a surprising defeat in the first game. In the end, however, was the undisputed victory and the first world title for the players to Iniesta, Xavi and Casillas. The Netherlands were defeated in the final 1-0 after extra time, after Spain had conceded only one more goal in the entire tournament.

The German team was in the semifinals, as two years earlier in the final of the European Championship 2008, no chance against just that Spain and finished the tournament in South Africa on a very good third place. The failure of Michael Ballacks had previously called skeptics on the scene, what would be achieved with this now very young and inexperienced team. After mediokrer preliminary round, the team swung with the newcomers Mesut Özil and Thomas Müller but two historic victories in the playoff round. First England was outclassed 4: 1, then Argentina with the ineffective in that game Lionel Messi with 4: 0 taken apart. Thomas Müller finally became the top scorer of the World Cup, as Miroslav Klose had four years earlier in Germany.

In the other semi-final, the Netherlands eliminated Uruguay after the Oranjes had previously knocked out Brazil’s high-traded Brazil. Spain for the first time world champion, at the first World Cup on African soil, in the final in the “Soccer City” Stadium in Johannesburg. And the German team had provided with exciting and successful offensive game for that sporting spectacle, which requires any such tournament to boost the mood. The South Africans showed themselves to be good hosts and did not lower their spirits even when their own team and then Ghana were the last African team to leave.

In the end, the positive impressions predominate

Although the tournament went smoothly, there were no incidents of violence in the stadiums or in the arrival routes, a small downer fell on the first alignment of a football World Cup in Africa. Many residents of South Africa and those interested in the rest of Africa, the tickets were simply too expensive. At the same time, demand from the rest of the world has fallen short of expectations, leading to some games being played in near-out-of-season stadiums.

As always, there was also a big gap between what was promised in advance to the people of South Africa and what they actually had. Some FIFA funds are still waiting for the South African Football Association, and many of South Africa’s World Cup stadiums are struggling to find meaningful reuse.

Nevertheless, the tournament in the Cape Country remains a milestone in Africa’s development, for people across Africa. For the host country South Africa itself, it is also true that the advertising value of the 2010 World Cup for traveling to South Africa can hardly be measured in figures.

In any case, for almost four weeks, the world public has seen peacefully moving in South Africa, that people celebrate with a lot of joy in life and are open to their guests. As is so often the case with these tournaments, travelers will then come to the aftermath of this event, as in South Africa, which continues to enjoy growing popularity as a destination.

Venues of the Football World Cup 2010

All cities at a glance

If you think about the World Cup, then some things are very important, of course first the teams and the players, but also other parts of the World Cup are very important and in any case interesting for the right course – for example, the venues without that there would be no World Cup.

At the Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa there were 9 venues and 10 stadiums. Here is a brief overview:

Johannesburg
Two stadiums are located in the largest city in South Africa, one of which is the largest stadium of this World Cup (with 96,000 seats), the other still the fourth largest stadium of the World Cup.
Read more here …
Pretoria
Of course, there is also a stadium for the World Cup in the capital of South Africa. The city is also otherwise very important to South Africa, as are most of the capitals of the world.
Read more here …
Cape Town
Of course, one of the largest cities in South Africa also has its own stadium, the third largest of the 2010 World Cup, with almost 68,000 seats. But even off the beaten track you can experience a lot here, so for example there is a great shopping arcade, which you should have looked at once.
Read more here …Information about Green Point Stadium in Cape Town!
Bloemfontein
The “City of Flowers” also houses a football stadium of the World Cup and also has numerous gardens and museums for tourists that you can watch next to the football.
Read more here …
Durban
The second largest city in South Africa also has the second largest stadium of the 2010 World Cup. But the harbor is also an attraction as it is the largest port in the whole of Africa.
Read more here …
Nelspruit
The relatively small town of Nelspruit not only has a stadium for the 2010 World Cup in its home country, but also has an airport from which fans will travel back and forth.
Read more here …
Port Elizabeth
Also Port Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in the South African Republic and has a beautiful harbor, which is considered in the city as a magnet for tourists.
Read more here …
Polokwane
The city of Polokwane also has an airport, otherwise a mine for diamonds and just the football stadium in which various games of the 2010 World Cup will take place.
Read more here …
Rustenburg
Two of the largest platinum mines in the world are located in Rustenburg, which should be viewed as a tourist in any case once.
Read more here …

These were the 9 venues of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which not only have a lot to offer in terms of football, but also offer numerous sights and highlights outside!

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Christina Cherry
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