Planning on track for 2010 Final Draw

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Cape Town - Planning is on track towards hosting the 2010 Final Draw in Cape Town and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) is satisfied with preparations.

The world's top soccer players and their coaches will descend on Cape Town's International Convention Centre on 4 December, where the final 32-team schedule for the event will be drawn.

"Preparations are well underway ...the Final Draw is a huge, world-class event and we are ready," said the LOC Chief Executive Officer Danny Jordaan, briefing Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation on Tuesday.

More than 700 million soccer fans from around the globe are expected to share in the excitement of the draw and the event is expected to be broadcasted to no fewer than 200 countries around the world.

"With around 1000 media expected and with representation from all 32 teams, the event will be a world-class affair," added Jordaan.

The soccer fraternity is to spend a week in Cape Town, with four days of events planned, which will also be a boost to the country's tourism industry.

There would also be other large-scale events showcasing the mother city's attractions.

The final draw takes place exactly six months before the 2010 World Cup kicks off. Twenty-three of the 32 participating teams have already qualified, with the remaining nine slots to be filled be the end of the year.

Apart from hosts South Africa, the remaining 22 emerged from qualifying matches held over the past few years.

Europe tops the list with nine teams, namely Germany, Denmark, England, Serbia, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Ghana and the Ivory Coast will represent Africa so far. Three more places will be decided on 14 November, when Cameroon, Gabon, Togo and Morocco battle it out.

From Asia and Oceania, Australia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea have qualified. Bahrain and New Zealand will battle it out for the fifth slot in their playoff in the zone early in December.

The United States, Mexico and Honduras are through from the Concacaf region. Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Argentina will represent South America.