Cape Town 'ready' for 2010 Draw
Bathandwa Mbola
11 November 2009
The 2010 Fifa World Cup™ Organising Committee (OC) is satisfied with Cape Town's preparations for the 2010 Final Draw taking place on 4 December, when the final 32-team schedule for the tournament will be decided.
"The Final Draw is a huge, world-class event and we are ready," OC chief executive Danny Jordaan told a Parliamentary committee in Cape Town this week.
More than 700-million soccer fans from around the globe are expected to share in the excitement of the Draw, which will be broadcast live from the Cape Town International Convention Centre to no fewer than 200 countries around the world.
"With around 1 000 media expected and with representation from all 32 teams, the event will be a world-class affair," Jordaan said.
The world's top soccer players and coaches, as well as others from the soccer fraternity are expected to spend up to a week in Cape Town, with four days of events planned. Other large-scale events showcasing the Mother City's attractions will also be held, providing a boost for the local tourism industry.
Nine places remaining
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.
Source: BuaNews
