By : Dan Blue
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.
Nelspruit with a population of 21,541 is the capital of Mpumalanga Province. It is located in the north eastern part of South Africa on the Lowveld, a low-lying plateau in an area of spectacular scenery close to the world famous Kruger National Park the largest game reserve in South Africa. Other local places of interest that a football fan might visit on a "non-football" day include Shangana cultural village, the Sudwala Caves and the 65 metre high Mac-mac falls. At an altitude of 660m Nelspruit has a sub-tropical climate and the weather during the World Cup should range in the low twenties Celsius.
Nelspruit's newly built Mbombela Stadium with a capacity of 46,000 will play host to four group matches from June 16th to June 25th. It kicks off at 13:30 on June 16th with the Group H match between Honduras and Chile. This is followed at 14:00 on June 20th by the Group F match between the 2006 champions, Italy, and New Zealand. On 23rd June at 20:30 we have the Group D match between Australia and Serbia. Finally on 25th June at 16:00 Korea DPR takes on Cote d'Ivoire in Group G. The show then moves on to the Round of 16 which kicks off on June 26th at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.
Nelspruit is served by Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) with connections to Johannesburg, Durban and Capetown with car hire and long term car parking facilities.
The distance from Nelspruit to the other World Cup 2010 venues is as follows:
* Johannesburg 358 Km, Polokwane 320 Km, Rustenburg 445 Km, Bloemfontein 771 Km,
* Cape Town 1779 Km, Port Elizabeth 1373 Km, Pretoria 342 Km, Durban 689 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 for games on a smaller scale USB Missile Launchers.