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Rustenburg’s stadium for the 2010 World Cup is the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. The ground has been updated from 38,000 in capacity to 42,000 for the World Cup which will allow it to hold four group games and two second round matches. Alongside this, the main west stand was substantially upgraded and enlarged being given a new cantilever roof in the process at a cost of $45 million. Other improvements made to the arena include new electronic scoreboards, upgraded floodlights and a new public address system

The stadium was originally built as a venue for the 1995 Rugby World Cup and has hosted rugby union, football and athletics. It was named after the Royal Bafokeng nation who are extremely rich due to platinum mining in the area. Therefore, the stadium is kept in good standard.

Located in the village of Phokeng, about 10 miles outside Rustenburg, 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.

Opened in 1999, the stadium – built in a saddle shape to reflect its natural surroundings – has undergone only minor improvements for the Fifa World Cup including the installation of 4,000 extra seats, floodlights, electronic scoreboards and a new PA system.

The stadium is only a 25-minute drive to Sun City and 30 minutes to the Pilanesberg. It is 12 kilometres from Rustenburg city centre and can be reached easily via car and added bus routes, which will be made available during the event, with extra buses running on match days to accommodate fans arriving in Rustenburg from the other host cities. Rustenburg is 165km from Johannesburg on a major highway, and the trip will take around two hours.

Pilanesberg International Airport is not far from Rustenburg and the stadium, as it is next to Sun City resort. Although this airport is one of ACSA’s smaller airports, there are daily connections to Cape Town (which is a two-and-a-half hours away) and to Johannesburg (a 30-minute journey). Flights around the time of the World Cup are likely to be in short supply however, due to the size of the airport

Built: 1995
Capacity: 42,000
Also known as: The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace.

Famous moment in sporting history: South Africa’s September 2006 21-20 defeat of New Zealand’s All Blacks; 2009 Confederations Cup venue.

Home of: Platinum Stars FC.

World Cup 2010 games: five group games, one second round game.

You can find more about the 2010 world cup stadiums, the teams and the Best World Cup Bets at www.bestworldcupbets.co.uk and you can even get a totally free world cup wall chart

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa

South Africa plays host to the 2010 World Cup this year in what has come to be known as the the planet’s premier sporting event .

The nail biting conclusion to the 2006 world cup saw Italy beat France in a penalty shootout and was watched by a record breaking 26 Billion worldwide viewers.  Perennial powerhouse Germany finished third.

In total there are 9 stadiums in which the games will be played, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Capetown, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane (Pietersburg), Rustenburg and Nelspruit with the final being played in Johannesburg on July 11, 2010.

The format of the 2010 World cup is group based, there are eight initial groups of 4 teams each.  The top two teams from each group progress to the sudden death elimination point of the tournament after the round robin.  The initial groups are setup and seeded from the results of the cup qualification process.  The first celebrated match of the 2010 world cup is the extremely anticipated Group C game between the US and a Beckhamless England.

The oddsmakers have Spain as favorites to win at 5:1 odds, with Brazil and England in the second and third spots respectively at 6:1 and 7:1 for the 2010 World Cup.  As always there are a wide variety of interesting bets to be made including picking the ultimate winner.  TheFootballPalace.com is picking England to win it all.

From an economic viewpoint, the event is expected to gross billions of dollars worldwide through international TV rights, ticketing and the ever popular sale of soccer jerseys, with Brazil and England proving to be amongst some of the more desired items.

Notable players to watch out for during the tournament include the prolific Spanish goal scorer, Torres,  the unrestrained Brazilian Ronaldinho and England’s emotional Wayne Rooney.  Unfortunately the tournament will be without David Beckham who recently suffered an Achilles injury during league play.