Pretoria - Local soccer crazy fans who have still not bought their tickets for the upcoming world cup spectacle will get one last chance to purchase their tickets this week.
Over 500 000 tickets will go on sale at eleven over-the-counter ticketing centres which will open in all the host cities on Thursday.
Tickets will be sold exclusively to locals for 63 matches - except for the final at Soccer City.
It is hoped the move, an attempt to make the purchase of tickets easier, will encourage South Africans to get their hands on tickets.
On 15 April, the fifth and final ticketing sales phase kicks off. Available tickets will be provided on a first come first served basis subject to immediate and full payment.
Five different sales channels will be operating during this fifth and final sales phase, which will run from Thursday to the last day of the tourney on 11 July 2010.
Eleven ticketing centres across the host cities will be opened seven days a week from 9am until 6pm.
The centres include the Spearhead, Corner of Buitengragt and Strijdom Ave, Foreshore in Cape Town. In Durban, at the Sun Coast Casino and Gateway Shopping Centre; Johannesburg, at Maponya Mall and at Laico Isle; Bloemfontien, at Loch Logan Waterfront Mall.
In Nelson Mandela, at Moffett on Main Lifestyle Centre; Nelspruit, at the Grove Shopping Centre; Polokwane, at the Lifestyle Mall; Rustenburg, at the Waterfall Mall and in Tshwane at the Brooklyn Mall.
The second method of purchasing tickets can be done at the 600 FNB branches nationwide which are open five days a week from 9am on 15 April. The process is new and fans can order tickets, make payment and get ticket confirmation immediately; the actual tickets need to be collected at the FIFA ticketing centres or Shoprite/Checkers sales points.
Soccer fans can also purchase tickets from the official tournament website www.FIFA.com, starting from 6pm on 15 April and the call centre hotline on 083 123 2010.
South African can also buy tickets at any of the 18 Shoprite/Checkers sales points starting from 9am on 19 April and open seven days a week.
In Johannesburg, the Checkers Hyper - Sandton, Checkers Hyper - Westgate, Checkers Hyper - Eastgate, in Pretoria, Checkers Hyper - Menlyn.
In Durban, Checkers Hyper - Westville, Checkers - Hillcrest, Shoprite - Chatsworth, in Cape Town - Century City, Checkers - Plumstead, in Bloemfontein, Checkers - Langehovenpark and Shoprite - Heidedal.
In Port Elizabeth, at the Shoprite - Redhouse, Shoprite - Newton Park, in Rustenburg, Shoprite - Mogwase, Shoprite - Brits, in Polokwane, Shoprite - Tzaneen, in Nelspruit, Shoprite - Nelspruit and Shoprite - White River.
Fans will need to bring an ID, a credit card or cash when applying at the ticketing centres
