The successes and challenges of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup’: the case of Cape Town, South Africa.

Abstract

In 2010 the FIFA World Cup finals were held on the African Continent for the first time with South Africa chosen to host the month-long event. Crucially, the hosting of such a prestigious tournament was seen as a chance for South Africa to prove to the world that as a developing nation it could successfully host an event of this magnitude. Using contemporary reports and incorporating findings from in-depth interviews conducted with national and regional event and destination stakeholders, this paper explores the challenges and successes of hosting the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Primarily, focusing on the experiences of the host City of Cape Town, this study investigates the branding opportunities and challenges associated with the 2010 tournament as well as actual impact and legacy of the event on social factors, such as nation building, social cohesion and racial integration.