2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Venues - Rustenburg

The countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa has begun in earnest and the spotlight begins to fall on the venues as soccer fans from around the world check out the destinations from where their favoured teams begin the adventure which they all hope will lead to the Final in Johannesburg's Soccer City on July 11th.

Rustenburg is a city of over 400,000 in South Africa's North West Province in the foothills of the Magaliesburg Mountains. Home to the Bafokeng Nation the region is rich in mineral wealth, particularly platinum. Close by is Pilanesberg Game Reserve, the fourth largest National Park in South Africa where a wide array of southern African wildlife can be found including lions, elephants, white and black rhinos, buffaloes, leopards and zebras. If wildlife is not your thing then Rustenburg is a mere 30km from Sun City, South Africa's premier holiday resort, with its many entertainment and relaxation opportunities. Sunny all year round, World Cup temperatures should average about 16°C but it can get cold at night due to the altitude of 1500m.

Rustenburg's brand new Royal Bafokeng Stadium with a capacity of 42,000 will play host to Five Group Matches plus one Round of 16 match between June 12th and June 26th. First up its England versus USA, a Group C match scheduled for 20:30 on June 12th. New Zealand and Slovakia play their Group F match at 13:30 on June 15th. On June 19th at 16:00 it's the Group D match between Ghana and Australia. The all South American Group A clash between Mexico and Uruguay takes place at 16:00 on June 22nd. The final Group match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium sees Denmark take on Japan on 24th June at 20:30. Two days later on June 26th a Round of 16 match takes place between the winners of Group C and the runners up from Group D.

Rustenburg is about 40km from Pilanesberg International Airport (NTY) which serves nearby Sun City
Telephone: +27 (0)14 552 1261. Flights from Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.

The distance from Nelspruit to the other World Cup 2010 venues is as follows:
Johannesburg 121 Km, Polokwane 376 Km, Nelspruit 445 Km, Bloemfontein 441 Km,
Cape Town 1385 Km, Port Elizabeth 1105 Km, Pretoria 105 Km, Durban 711 Km.

Dan has been writing articles on sports and other subjects for some time. His guide to 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Venues can be found here World Cup Venues, and here you can find his guide to noise cancellation headphones.