2010 FIFA World Cup, Groups, Qualifiers, TV Schedule, Pictures

MAIN Sports Soccer - Football 2010 FIFA World Cup

South Africa, granted an automatic berth in the 2010 World Cup, is getting ready to kick off the 19th edition of the games set for international play from June 11 to July 11, 2010.

It will be the first time that the tournament has been held in Africa, with millions of visitors expected to travel to Johannesburg to marvel at new sports venues now being constructed for the occasion.

The 2010 World Cup Qualifiers on TV

Setanta won the live rights to around 90 qualifying matches in 2008 and 2009 ahead of the 2010 World Cup, including most of the away games for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It's too early to tell which of the major worldwide media outlets will provide live coverage of the 2010 games, but safe to say Setanta Sports again leads the way in a fevered battled is now being pitched to see who wins coverage rights in each of their respective countries, currently refereed by InFront Sports & Media.

In the U.S., the World Cup will most likely be covered in its entirety by ABC Sports & ESPN.

In South Africa

Meanwhile, the country is working hard to impress the world at large with five new stadiums being planned, or currently under construction:

Venues

Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein. Being upgraded.
African Renaissance Stadium, Cape Town. Currently under construction.
King Senzangakhona Stadium, Durban. New stadium replacing King's Park Stadium.
Soccer City, Johannesburg. To be upgraded.
Ellis Park, Johannesburg. To be upgraded.
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. To be built
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane. To be upgraded.
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth. To be built
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

World Cup 2010 On the Web

Of course, live broadband coverage is also up for grabs, but watch for ESPN to throw their international weight around for a shot at major Web simulcasts as they did in 2006.

Elsewhere on the Web, keep up-to-date at top sites offering related news, travel information, and lots of related history, facts & trivia on the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup ...

South Africa 2010 World Cup - Check out what's coming up on the road to the World Cup in Johannesburg with news & updates on new stadiums & facility upgrades, informative FAQ, online forum and feature stories.

FIFA - South Africa - The official site from FIFA with how the 2010 games are shaping up with a host country profile, inspection reports, venue guide, photo gallery.

2010 FIFA World Cup - The complete picture from Wikipedia including the complete venue & map, information on new facilities under construction, related controversies, rumors & gossip, archive of related news stories.

World Cup 2010 travel guide - More information from Wikitravel with advice on traveling to the games, how to get around and what else to see and do in South Africa, plus practical and safety tips, related links.

World Cup History Page - A Polish soccer fan with all the historical goods dating back to 1930 including Did You Know facts, player trivia, legends, statistics, records & rankings.

also see in Travel -> South Africa