Under 20 FIFA Soccer World Cup Canada 2007 tickets go on sale

Tournament ticket packages for the U-20 FIFA Soccer World Cup Canada 2007 will be available on July 15 2006.

On Saturday, July 15 at 12:00pm EST, FIFA World Cup soccer tournament ticket packages for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 will be available for purchase via FIFA.com or by calling 1-866-662-3452 (toll-free in USA and Canada).

The Under 20 FIFA World Cup Canada 2007 is expected to be the largest single-sport sporting event ever held in Canada with an anticipated viewership of approximately 750 million worldwide and over 520,000 fans expected to attend the 52-game, 24-team competition.

In 2007, Canada will host the world's finest under twenty soccer players in six cities across the country - Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Burnaby, and Victoria - with the dates for the tournament set for 30 June -22 July, 2007.

The biennial event is second only to the FIFA World Cup™ in size and scope and will showcase the most talented under-20 soccer players in the world. The tournament has seen some of the game's top soccer players - Diego Maradona, Javier Saviola, Raul, Marco van Basten, Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole, Adriano, Roberto Carlos, Kaka, Bebeto, Dunga and, most recently, Lionel Messi - launch their international soccer careers.

Canada's Craig Forrest and many members of the current senior soccer team including Julian de Guzman, Paul Stalteri, Atiba Hutchinson and Iain Hume have also participated in the past.

Source: FIFA / 17 July 2006

The German state of Bavaria is encouraging South African companies to attend a real estate trade fair in October 2006, saying it will attract investors in the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Hans Spitzner, Bavaria's deputy minister for economic affairs said that SA could benefit from experience Germany was gaining in staging the 2006 Football World Cup.

Specific areas of opportunity that could be triggered by the event included the development of shopping malls, entertainment venues and residential developments, he said. The 2010 Football World Cup is expected to generate billions of rands.

Australia is keen as well to share the experience gained in hosting the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

(source: Business Day / Chris Van Gass / 17 February 2005)

The 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup should boost tourism in Southern Africa, which is currently handicapped by its image as a war zone and the difficulties of travel within the region.

Shepherd Nyaruwata, the executive director of the Regional Tourism Organisation for Southern Africa, said: "There is a need to spruce up the image of the region."

Nyaruwata expected tourist numbers to peak from 14 million last year to 20 million during 2010, with some World Cup soccer fans going on from the soccer tournament in South Africa to visit neighbouring states such as Mozambique and Namibia.

(source: Business Report / Alfonce Mbizwo / 17 March 2005)