Robben Island - Soccer fans can expect the best of their teams' performance as the FIFA Executive Committee has increased the prize money by 60 percent for the best four teams.
FIFA Secretary General, Jerome Valcke on Thursday told reporters that the total prize money would be increased from $261.4m (R1.9bn) in 2006 to $420m, (R3.1bn) in 2010.
"The winner will receive $30m (R222m), the runner-up $24m (R164m), semi-finalists $20m (R148m) and quarter finalists $18m (R133m)," Valcke said on Thursday.
He said the teams that qualify for the last 16 will each get $9m (R67m) and those eliminated in the group stages of the final competition will receive $8m (R59m).
"In addition, each of the 32 qualified teams will be granted $1m (R7.4m) for preparation costs," he said.
Valcke then moved on to issues that still needed ironing out. He said FIFA still needed to ensure that Soccer City Stadium will be completed by early next year.
Valcke said with the draw in sight it was no longer the time to talk about what is not working but the time to acknowledge how hard everyone has worked.
"Now we have to make sure that as FIFA, South Africans and the government we welcome the hundreds of thousands people coming to South Africa in the best way," he said.
