Africa Hosts the World Cup for the First Time

In May 2004, the international football federation FIFA selected South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup, marking the first time the men's finals would be held on the African continent. The decision resulted from a short-lived rotation policy among continental confederations, with the bidding restricted exclusively to African nations. South Africa secured fourteen votes from the executive committee in the first ballot, defeating Morocco, which earned ten votes, and Egypt, which received none. Former president Nelson Mandela, who had campaigned tirelessly for the bid, was with the South African delegation in Zurich and wept as the result was announced. In a 2013 guilty plea made public in 2015, former FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer admitted that he and others on the committee had agreed to accept bribes in connection with the selection of South Africa.

Preparations for the global tournament involved constructing five brand-new stadiums and upgrading five existing facilities across nine host cities. South Africa also improved public transport in the host cities, including Johannesburg's Gautrain, and upgraded major road networks. Construction ran into labour disputes in July 2009, when approximately 70,000 workers walked off building sites over wage conditions, though negotiations resolved the strike within a week. Ultimately, ten venues staged matches during June and July 2010, ranging from coastal stadiums to venues in Johannesburg, a city lying roughly 1,700 metres above sea level.