World Cup 2010 tickets: how to get your seats for South Africa

England's draw for the World Cup 2010 has sent fans into a frenzy of planning for a trip to South Africa. Here, we show you how to get hold of tickets for the World Cup.

Demand for tickets for World Cup 2010 has surged after the draw for the first round games on Friday.

One million tickets were released on the Fifa site on Saturday, and although 55,000 sold in the first two hours, this is still the most reliable way of getting hold of tickets.

For the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany there were 20 million requests during the first sales phase for 750,000 available tickets.

And the race for tickets for this World Cup is likely to be equally strong – especially as England's first game, in Rustenburg on June 12 against the USA, is to be played in one of the smaller stadiums, with only 5,040 tickets allocated to England fans.

Through the Fifa website

You need to register on the site before being guided through the ticketing process, and then submit your request for tickets. A new sales phase began on Saturday, and runs until Jan 22. Your name will then be entered into the draw.

There were 222,000 applications in the first 48 hours after the draw, but Fifa point out that it doesn't matter when you apply as tickets from this sales phase will be drawn on Feb 1. You can apply for a maximum of four tickets, for seven different matches.

There will be further sales phases beginning on Feb 9 – on a first come, first served basis – and on April 15th.

Tickets will not be posted out but will be available for collection, at designated points in South Africa, from April 2010.

Through the FA

The English Football Association - along with the footballing associations of all competing nations - have been given an allocation of tickets. But these are only available to members of the official EnglandFans supporters' group - and the website currently says that it is not accepting new members who are looking for international tickets.

Through official tour operators

There are four official UK tour partners for the World Cup – Thompson Sport, Thomas Cook, Keith Prowse and BAC Sport.

All offer a variety of packages, from single matches to deals for all group stage games and right up to the final. Single-game packages begin at £2,500 with Thomas Cook, while packages for the quarter-finals, semis and final are available for £9,995 from Keith Prowse.

Nathan Wilson, managing director of Thomson – the official tour partner for the FA – said: "The benefit of buying tickets with an official tour operator is that you know you will definitely get them. As part of our travel packages we promise named tickets, sold at face value, and you know they are not fakes.

"Touts could be trying to sell tickets for the final for tens of thousands of pounds and you don't even know if they are real, so it is infinitely preferable to get them from a reputable source."

Through corporate hospitality

Fifa officials have said that they do not expect the full allocation of 308,000 seats reserved for corporate hospitality to be taken up, as businesses hit by the recession cut down on corporate entertaining.

That means that some of the tickets may come back onto the market through Fifa’S website early next year - but they will be sold at premium prices for corporate boxes with lavish hospitality. Start badgering your boss to take a box for the final now.

Through eBay and other online sellers

This is not really an option at the moment, as tickets aren't physically available until April. And you have to collect them in person, with the card you used to buy them, in South Africa – so it may be tricky to track them down online.

Through touts at the stadiums

There will doubtless be throngs of touts happy to take your cash for tickets. But South Africa is known for its forgery - whether you are willing to pay exorbitant prices for a ticket that may be fake is up to you.

Organisers have warned that tickets purchased by touts may be fake, or may have been rendered invalid by Fifa on discovering they were being sold by unauthorised vendors. The application for tickets requires the purchaser's name and 14 other personal details.

Wolfgang Eichler, Fifa spokesman, said: "There will be random checks on the door - that's why we have tickets with barcodes and names on them.

"We are using state of the art technology. It's fairly normal now, but it's state of the art."

Fifa said in a statement: "Sadly the reality is that many unauthorised operators are exploiting the excitement and passion of the Fifa World Cup to lure unsuspecting customers to South Africa with empty promises of tickets, hospitality and travel plans.

"All fans wishing to travel to South Africa should be aware of the importance of buying authentic tickets through authorized sources.

"Fifa also urges fans to be aware that their involvement in the purchase or use of such tickets may result in civil or criminal prosecutions. Ultimately, Fifa remains committed to the protection of the interests of all fans."

World Cup 2010 draw: Fabio Capello welcomes England's 'not so bad' group

Fabio Capello said England's World Cup group, which contains Slovenia, USA and Algeria, was not easy but was optimistic of progressing to the next stage.

England's first World Cup 2010 game will be against the USA in Rustenberg on Saturday June 12, followed by fixtures against Algeria in Cape Town six days later and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on June 23.

It was a favourable draw for manager Fabio Capello, and he said afterwards: "It's not so bad. We played against the USA and Slovenia at home, we played well, we won, but when we have to play here in June it will be difficult.

"Algeria beat Egypt and will not be easy. They have a really good team now. When you play at the World Cup, every game is not easy."

Capello said that Algeria's lack of experience against non-African sides would not be a critical factor, saying: "All their players have experience. The USA are the team [in the group] with the most experience.

"Brazil's group is not easy. Also, Group A is not easy for the Bafana Bafana," he said, referring to the host nation.

"Italy is not so bad," he added, remarking on the favourable draw given to the country of his birth.

Asked if England could go on to win the tournament, the 63 year-old simply replied: "We have to win."

-- Read the World Cup game schedule and see the groups in full.

David Beckham, who was on stage to assist with the draw, said: "I think it's a very interesting group. They are all hard games at this point. We're just very honoured to be here and to play at this historic time in Africa."

Former England manager Terry Venables, speaking on Sky Sports News, said: "They're all going to say there's no easy games, but that's as good as we could have expected. You could have hand-picked that.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said: "It's a fantastic draw. The only blight on the horizon is that the group we are going to be playing against when the team qualifies will be very tough, because that group has some very good sides in it. It could be Germany."

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman was pleased that two of the England fixtures would take place in the evening.

"The first game could be our hardest game of the group," he said. "But we've got two evening kick-offs: get the points sorted there, and we're coasting."

Ronald de Boer, the former Dutch player, named England as one of the three favourites for the tournament after having seen the draw.

"For me, Spain is number one, then Brazil, and I think England can do well this year," he said on CNN. "They are much more solid under Fabio Capello."

Fifa rule out extra referees at World Cup 2010 and will investigate Thierry Henry handball

Fifa’s executive committee have decided against bringing in the five-referees system for next summer’s World Cup and also announced that Thierry Henry is to be investigated by their disciplinary committee over his handball against the Republic of Ireland.

In ruling out the prospect of extra referees behind the goals for the tournament in South Africa the executive committee did pledge to launch an inquiry to consider both technology and extra officials in the future.

Fifa will maintain one referee with two assistants and a fourth official for the finals.

The system of extra officials behind goals has been trialed in this season’s Europa League and though no major incident has occurred since the change it has been considered a success.

The prospect of the system being rushed through in time for the World Cup 2010 finals was raised after Henry clearly handled the ball twice in the build up to France’s decisive goal in their play-off with Ireland.

The Irish were incensed that the goal was allowed to stand though the match referee was unsighted.

The incident prompted calls for the introduction of video technology, as is prevalent in other sports, though Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, and Michel Platini, head of Uefa, the European governing body, oppose such a move in principle.

Henry's case was the subject of detailed discussion in an emergency meeting of the FIFA executive committee in Cape Town today.

Blatter said: "The disciplinary will open a case on the behaviour of the player Thierry Henry."

Asked why Fifa were making a special case of Henry, he added: "This is a matter of the disciplinary committee and it's not a question of this player or another - it was a blatant unfair playing and was shown all around the world, but I don't know what the outcome will be."

World Cup 2010: which 32 teams have qualified?

Uruguay, by defeating Costa Rica, became the last of the 32 nations to be confirmed for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.

Europe: Holland, England, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia , Greece, Slovenia, Portugal , France.

Asia: Japan, Australia, South Korea, North Korea.

Africa: South Africa (as hosts), Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria .

South America: Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay.

North/Central America: Mexico, United States, Honduras.

Oceania: New Zealand.

Key dates:

Dec 4: World Cup draw

May 9: Last Premier League day

May 15: FA Cup Final

May 22: Champions League Final (Bernabeu)

June 11: World Cup starts in Johannesburg

July 11: World Cup Final in Johannesburg

World Cup 2010: stadium guide in South Africa

With thousands of England fans furiously making plans for their trip to South Africa next summer, we take a look at all of the venues that are to be used during the World Cup.

Green Point Stadium
City: Cape Town.
Capacity: 70,000.
Construction status: Due to be completed in December.
Fact: The newly-built Green Point Stadium will host one of the World Cup semi-finals and after the tournament it will be used to stage major events and concerts.

Ellis Park
City: Johannesburg.
Capacity: 62,000.
Construction status: Built in 1982 but given a face-lift for the 2009 Confederations Cup.
Fact: Ellis Park hosted the final of the Confederations Cup between Brazil and the United States.

Free State Stadium
City: Mangaung/Bloemfontein.
Capacity: 48,000.
Construction status: Built in 1952, but had capacity increased from 38,000 just before the Confederations Cup.
Fact: The stadium has hosted numerous major football and rugby union matches, and Bloemfontein's natives are renowned for their passion for sport.

Mbombela Stadium
City: Nelspruit.
Capacity: 46,000.
Construction status: Work finished earlier this year on this newly-built stadium.
Fact: The ground also enjoys a close proximity to various game parks, giving spectators the opportunity to see the wildlife during rest days.

Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace
City: Rustenburg.
Capacity: 42,000.
Construction status: Not due to be completed until early 2010.
Fact: The stadium is named after the Bafokeng people who live in the area. In 1999, the Bafokeng won a legal battle which entitled them to 20 per cent of the platinum which is mined on their historical land.

Moses Mabhida Stadium
City: Durban.
Capacity: 70,000.
Construction status: Work on the stadium was completed earlier this year.
Fact: The stadium will host the other World Cup semi-final and was built on the site of the old Kings Park Stadium.

Soccer City Stadium
City: Johannesburg.
Capacity: 94,700.
Construction status: Built in 1987 but has had a major upgrade for the World Cup. The original stadium, which was known as the FNB Stadium, had a capacity of 80,000. Upgrades involved extending the upper tier to increase the capacity to 94,700; adding 99 more suites to bring the number to 184; constructing an encircling roof; adding new changing room facilities and installing new floodlighting.
Fact: Soccer City hosted the first mass rally of Nelson Mandela after his release from prison in 1990. Thousands of mourners lamented Chris Hani's assassination at the stadium in 1993.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
City: Port Elizabeth.
Capacity: 48,000.
Construction status: Another newly-built stadium, construction work was completed earlier this year.
Fact: The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will host the third-place play-off, and a quarter-final amid a total of eight matches during the World Cup.

Peter Mokaba Stadium
City: Polokwane.
Capacity: 46,000.
Construction status: Work on this newly-built stadium is scheduled to finish in early-2010.
Fact: The stadium is named after one of the renowned sons of the struggle and emancipation of South Africa against the apartheid regime, Peter Mokaba.

Loftus Versfeld Stadium
City: Tshwane/Pretoria.
Capacity: 50,000.
Construction status: Built in 1906, its last upgrade was completed in 2008.
Fact: The stadium - one of the oldest in South Africa - has been used for both rugby and football matches and is home to one of the country's best rugby teams, the Blue Bulls.

Capello will allow World Cup WAGS

England boss Fabio Capello will allow 'WAGs' at the World Cup next year - but only for one day after each match in South Africa.

The wives and girlfriends of players were a huge presence during the 2006 tournament in Germany, with Rio Ferdinand last season calling it a "circus" under Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Capello's regime has been strict but the Italian feels his players should see their loved ones for limited periods, as the planning towards the 2010 starts following the 5-1 victory over Croatia that sealed qualification.

"I like what we made here at training where the players stay together," Capello said. "When we are in South Africa the players need the wives, friends, the girls. One day after each game."

Capello, however, warned: "We are there to play, not for a holiday."

Capello, since starting in the job at the beginning of last year, has masterminded eight consecutive World Cup qualifying wins, with the focus now on who will board the plane to Africa.

With much of the squad already settled, there will be players fighting for places this season.

"We have to wait and I will choose the best players, those in the best moment of form," he said.

"This will be important. Someone who is injured now is (Owen) Hargreaves, one man. I don't know if he will be ready."

The WAGs' presence - which has been seen by some as the reason for underachievement in 2006 and failure to qualify for Euro 2008 - was part of a culture where England's superstars were expected to bring success.

Capello is now trying to play down any talk of winning the trophy, although he feels his side can beat any country on their day.

"We made the first step and we go to South Africa," he said. "But we have to work a lot because to win the World Cup would be a really strong moment.

"It's different when you stay at the World Cup because you have to win the first round and that is the worst moment of the tournament.

"We have a good team and are playing very well but we have to stay with our feet on the floor.

"I always said that we are a really good team. Our players are really good players and the confidence we have now has improved a lot.

"For this reason we can play against the best teams in the world and I think we can win the game."

Capello believes his players are now replicating their club form and feels they are confident at home again - silencing the jeers that used to accompany them.

"I did not understand why the same players were not the same for the national team as they were for their clubs," he said.

"For this reason I prepared the psychology for that. They changed completely. The first step was when we won in Croatia.

"The confidence immediately went up but we always played well away, not at Wembley. The problem was Wembley. Also now we are playing well at Wembley."