Teaching Soccer

The biggest sporting event in the world is set to take place next year in South Africa, when 32 teams from around the globe will meet in the 19^th FIFA World Cup tournament. For the first time in history the event will take place on the continent of Africa, in front of nearly 3 million people attending in person and millions more watching on television.

Nine host cities have been chosen with the games to be played in ten different stadiums. Each of the World Cup cities offer great accommodation, lots of choice for nightlife and the best dining experiences. The easiest way to make for a perfect holiday is to choose a respected agent who can customize world cup packages that includes tickets, travel, accommodations and sightseeing options for one very affordable price. Booking early is the best way to secure the cheapest rates. Waiting until the tournament is about to begin will mean spending more than you would have done if you had booked earlier. So find the right travel agent and explain to them what you want to do. There are so many options available. You can select one budget friendly World Cup package that includes everything you want and need, or you can customize a package that is basically a la carte and very flexible with a lot of wiggle room for impulse sightseeing.

So do a little homework first, search around and find a trustworthy travel agent. Ask questions and choose the agent willing to work with you, listen to you and answer all your questions before you plunk down your hard earned cash. Tell your sports tour advisor how much you want to pay and they can then customise the package to meet the budget. Top of the line world cup packages are available for you, your family, your friends, or even your teammates. Begin your planning. Don't wait until the last minute because with 3 million people coming, the best tickets, the nicest accommodation and the cheap flights to South Africa will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Millions of football fans will descend on South Africa during the month of June in order to attend the world largest sporting event, having booked one of the many world cup packages that are currently on offer. The 2010 World Cup will take place between June11th and July 11^th, spread among nine host cities including Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth to name just a few. However there are some things you need to know before you get on your plane. First of all, you will need a passport to enter the country. You won't, however, need a visa unless you plan to stay longer than ninety days. Your passport has to be valid for at least 30 days after you're scheduled to leave South Africa.

Planning your trip early and using a reputable and registered travel agent will allow you get the best deals that you r money can buy. Locating these world cup packages will take a little patience and homework but it will be worth it in the end. In fact, with the World Cup it is better to book everything in advance to eliminate the hassle for when you get there. Booking in advance leaves you able to enjoy all of the tournament stress free as well as danger free. The World Cup is during South Africa's winter season, so it will be cold and rainy depending on which part of the country you happen to spend time in. Think weather that is the same as that found in California in America or in Southwestern Australia in the land down under.

Transportation between the nine host cities will be either by high speed rail, rapid transit bus, taxi or rental car. Rental cars should be booked in advance in order to secure one for when you need it. Tell your travel agent to make the reservation. Read up on local driving regulations and insurance rules if you plan to drive. However, if you decide to use a taxi ask the receptionist at your hotel which firm is trustworthy and licensed.Beware of buying tickets once you land because they may be invalid or counterfeit. Check any tickets with the official ticketing center to ensure your tickets are the real McCoy or fake. The government of South Africa and FIFA have put into place a zero tolerance policy outlawing racism and xenophobia. Fans who are very intoxicated will not be allowed inside the stadiums or fan parks outside the stadiums.

South Africa will host the 2010 Football World Cup from June 11 to July 11. Millions of football fans around the world will be glued to their television screens to watch the matches. There are world cup packages available for the lucky ones who can afford it by selected tour operators.

For the football fanatic there are world cup packages available that allow you to follow your team throughout the world cup travelling across South Africa. On the other hand if you simply fancy taking in a game or two whilst enjoying the holiday of a lifetime in South Africa there are packages available for this too.

Johannesburg and the surrounding cities will host most of the World Cup matches with two of the ten world cup stadiums being situated in Johannesburg itself and four other stadiums within driving distance. Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Rustenburg and Pretoria will host the remaining games.

For the football games in Johannesburg, Rustenburg, Pretoria and Nelspruit you are recommended to secure accommodation in Johannesburg and fly directly there. These locations are all in northern South Africa within a few hours’ drive of one another. About five hours away is Polokwane which is one of the safest areas in South Africa.

Bloemfontein is right in the centre of South Africa and is host to a few football games in its Free State Stadium. It is the judicial capital of South Africa and is a smallish-sized city.

Other games will be played in the cultural city of Durban which has lovely beaches and a busy nightlife. A potentially great place to mix your holiday with some football.

Cape Town will also host several world cup games. It is situated on the southern tip of South Africa and is overlooked by the amazing Table Mountain. It is good option for those flying to South Africa from Europe.

Port Elizabeth lies between Durban and Cape Town on the south coast. To stay there throughout the world cup you will have to book a domestic flight from Johannesburg or Cape Town.

FIFA have selected tour operators worldwide who are entitled to sell travel arrangements with official 2010 tickets. 350, 000 tickets have been made available by FIFA to them. These companies have accommodation and flights (both international and domestic) available for a wide variety of different world cup packages to cater to all demands and budgets.

Nobody as yet knows what teams will be playing at what location until the December 4, 2009 draw but bookings for the world cup packages are already fully available from the selected tour operators. The schedule of games has been fixed but when and at what time exactly matches will take place is not known.

If you world cup packages in a specific country, for example through an English tour operator you will be assured of an England match ticket as these tickets have been guaranteed (including several semi-final and final tickets).

The soccer World Cup is coming in June 2010, this time it is in South Africa and there are many companies offering various world cup packages. Right now you might be looking into many different package options and no matter what you are interested in you should watch for some important things in them. Here are a few things to find in a good World Cup package.

First you should watch for the air travel that is being used. There will be packages that include different classes for travel, whether thats coach, business or first class. Your cost for this part will vary according to how far you have to travel. There are many airlines flying to South Africa, that include Emirates, Etihad Airways, South African Airways, Virgin and British Airways.

The next important part of the package is the accommodation. These will range from 3 star to 5 start hotels, to guest houses and apartments. You can also find hotels with hospitality areas. In these areas you can get free travel services and some will offer food and drink. You will not be able to get your hotel switched during your trip in most instances.

Where your accommodation is in relation to a match venue will be important. You will have to watch for the location of your hotel especially if it is in Johannesburg. There are many games in Johannesburg including the World Cup Final match. It also helps to check on venues in cities like Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria. No matter what city your package takes you to you should check on where your hotel is and ensure there is adequate security provided.

You may even be offered side trips in your World Cup package. These short excursions will give you the chance to experience all that South Africa has to offer. You can get a safari trip or a trip to Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls. Ensure you read the details to see what is included in the various packages.

The tickets are the last part of the package to check out. You can get tickets for many games in a plan. The levels of games in the package, including Group Match and Final events, should be checked on. In many cases a package provider can offer tickets for all matches involving a specific country. Travel locations and dates will be different according to the team you follow.

Be sure to watch for the many factors involved when looking at the many world cup packages available. It helps to take a look into the air travel, hotel and tickets. Any additional travel services should also be watched for.

Its official, we now know the 32 teams that will be competing for the greatest prize in football, the Fifa World Cup and there are many different world cup packages on offer to help get fans to see all the action. The countries that have qualified for next year’s tournament are as follows:

Australia,  Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana,  Nigeria, Honduras, Mexico, United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, New Zealand, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and last but not least the hosts South Africa.

Now that we know which countries will be there, make sure you are there too. With many good world cup packages available, getting there shouldn’t be that difficult.

Qualifying for this tournament wasn’t that difficult for some countries either, for instance in Europe, Spain qualified comfortably winning all of their matches, beating the likes of Turkey and Belgium along the way. The Netherlands also qualified without any defeats, winning all eight of their matches, their group included Norway and Scotland. The world champions Italy qualified comfortably but had three draws, twice with the Republic of Ireland and once with Bulgaria. England also made it through easily with 9 wins and one draw.

It was a different story for Portugal and France, who both had to go through an extra qualifying stage with knockout matches against Bosnia and the Republic of Ireland. France overcome Ireland with a late winner in extra time, this game will be remembered for the much talked about hand ball from Henry which resulted in the goal that won the game. Portugal beat Bosnia in both of their play-off matches, making it 2-0 on aggregate.

In South America, Brazil took top spot in the group with 9 wins and 2 defeats. Chile, Paraguay and Argentina joined them with automatic qualification, whilst Uruguay had to compete with Costa Rica in a play-off stage. Uruguay won the 2 leg match 2-1 on aggregate. This group will be remembered for how close Argentina came to not qualifying, an 84^th minute goal from Bolatti helped them to reach the finals in the end.

There are many companies offering fans the opportunity to see more of these battles in South Africa, with various world cup packages to suit you, whether that is following your country throughout the tournament or just watching the group stage matches in Johannesburg or Cape Town. Out of the 32 teams competing, who will fair best at the World Cup Finals?