Host selection
Africa was chosen as the host for the 2010 World Cup as part of a short-lived policy, abandoned in 2007,[2] to rotate the event among football confederations. Five African nations placed bids to host the 2010 World Cup:
Egypt
Libya /
Tunisia (co-hosting)
Morocco
South Africa
Following the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee not to allow co-hosted tournaments, Tunisia withdrew from the bidding process. The committee also decided not to consider Libya's solo bid as it no longer met all the stipulations laid down in the official List of Requirements.
After one round of voting, the winning bid was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter at a media conference on 15 May 2004 in Zürich. South Africa, which had narrowly failed to win the right to host the 2006 event, was awarded the rights to host the tournament over Morocco and Egypt.[3]
| Voting Results | |
|---|---|
| Country | Votes |
| South Africa | 14 |
| Morocco | 10 |
| Egypt | 0 |
During 2006 and 2007, rumours circulated in various news sources that the 2010 World Cup could be moved to another country.[4][5] Some people, including Franz Beckenbauer, Horst R. Schmidt and, reportedly, some FIFA executives, expressed concern over the planning, organisation, and pace of South Africa's preparations.[4][6] However, FIFA officials repeatedly expressed their confidence in South Africa as host, stating that a contingency plan existed only to cover natural catastrophes, as had been in place at previous FIFA World Cups.[7]