2010 FIFA World Cup™ statistics

National team member during the 2010 World Cup. Photo courtesy Steven Pienaar

South Africa has appeared in three FIFA World Cups™: the 1998 event in France, 2002 competition in Korea/Japan and 2010 event in South Africa.
Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the first goal in the first match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, finding the back of the net 55 minutes into South Africa’s match against Mexico. Tshabalala’s goal later received a nomination for Goal of the Year by FIFA.
The FNB Stadium in Nasrec, Soweto– known as Soccer City for the duration of the tournament – is the largest stadium in Africa, seating about 94 000 spectators.
Soccer City hosted the opening ceremony, followed by the opening match between South Africa and Mexico, four group stage matches, a Round of 16 match, a quarterfinal and the competition final.
Johannesburg hosted 15 matches during the World Cup.

WorldCup Stadiums in Gauteng

Loftus Versfeld Stadium,situated in South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria, can seat 50 000 spectators. It hosted five first-round 2010 FIFA World Cup™ matches and one second-round match.
Soccer City’s original seating capacity of 80 000 was enlarged to accommodate more than 94 000 people for the World Cup. The area around the stadium was upgraded to include a fully functional transport hub with railway station. The rail system is now used for industrial, commercial and residential developments in the surrounding area.
Ellis Park (Coca-Cola Park) was a World Cup semi-final stadium. The stadium underwent major renovations to fulfil FIFA’s requirements, adding an additional 10 000 seats to bring the seating capacity to the requisite 70 000. It hosted five first-round matches, one second-round match and a quarterfinal.
As part of African Response’s World Cup Visitors’ Survey, tourists were asked to rate elements contributing to their experience in South Africa. Our stadiums rated the highest, with 87% of respondents saying their perception of and experience at the stadiums was “excellent” or “very good”. Tourists interviewed in Johannesburg gave the highest rating, at 91%.

Soccer City Satdium filling up with soccer fans. Photo courtesy babasteve

According to Department of Tourism figures, the World Cup showcased South Africa to an international audience of approximately 32-billion viewers.
According to Statistics South Africa, there were 997 960 foreign arrivals to South Africa in June 2010, of which 981 592 were visitors. The visitors consisted of 260 281 same-day visitors and 721 311 overnight visitors (tourists). Of these, 277 345 tourists were from overseas; 398 085 were from Southern African Development Community countries; 22 989 were from other African countries; and 22 892 were unspecified.
Nine out of 10 foreigners visiting South Africa for the World Cup said they would recommend South Africa as a holiday destination, according to African Response’s World Cup Visitor Survey, and 96% said there was a possibility that they would return.
A third of the World Cup visitors stayed in South Africa for more than a month, while 48% indicated they would be in the country for two to four weeks. Only 13% were in South Africa for between one and two weeks and only 4% for under a week.
The African Response survey was conducted using a face-to -face intercept method with 722 tourists who travelled to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Respondents were interviewed in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria between June 11, 2010 and July 13, 2010.

Midfielder for South Africa, Aaron Mokoena. Clare Courier Gallery

Aaron “Mbazo” Mokoena (born November 25, 1980 in Boipatong, Vanderbijlpark) plays in the midfield for South Africa and English club Portsmouth. He captains Bafana Bafana and has 104 caps for his country.
Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane (born June 9, 1982 in Soweto) is a Kaizer Chiefs midfielder.
Teko Tsholofelo Modise (born December 22, 1982 in Soweto) plays for Orland Pirates in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League. He was named Mvela Golden League Player of the Season for 2005/2006 and was the inaugural Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Year in 2008/2009.
Steven Jerome Pienaar (born March 17, 1982 in Westbury) plays on the wing for the English Premier Leagueclub Everton. He has previously played for Ajax Cape Town, Ajaxand Borussia Dortmund.
Lawrence Siphiwe Tshabalala(born September 25, 1984 in Phiri, Soweto) made his international debut in a friendly against Egypton January 14, 2006. The Kaizer Chiefs footballer scored the first goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Bernard Parker (born March 16, 1986 in Boksburg) is a midfielder/strikerwho plays for Netherlands-based FC Twente. Parker scored both goals in South Africa’s 2-0 win over New Zealandin the 2009 Confederations Cup, receiving the Man of the Match award in the process.

Three official FIFA fan parks were set up in Gauteng for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
The Rockville, Soweto fan park was erected on the series of fields that makes up Elkah Stadium and the Soweto Cricket Club. The Soweto FIFA Fan Fest featured a large beer tent, an official store and various food and beverage options. Entertainment highlights included local and national music and dance acts.
The Innesfree Park fan park, situated close to Alexandra township and the Sandton central business district, offered a variety of activities to keep fans entertained, both before and after the live screening of World Cup matches.
The 30 000-capacity Centurion Cricket Ground fan park, situated just outside Pretoria’s central business district, offered football fans both seating and standing room, and local entertainment between World Cup games.