It has been announced that Thomson Sport will be an official tour operator for 2010 FIFA World Cup, set to be held in South Africa. This follows the recent naming of Emirates’ tour operator division as global tour operator for the quadrennial event.

Thomson Sport are making packages available from this month for the many thousands of fans who are expected to make the journey to watch the event that begins on June 11 and will last for a month. Thomson Sport managing director Nathan Wilson said: “We’re confident with Thomson’s experience and expert knowledge of travel and tourism in South Africa this will enhance thousand’s of football fans’ overall experience of one of the world’s greatest events.”

Emirates also have plans to implement ‘Follow your team’ packages; a first for the World Cup, which will allow supporters to follow their team’s every kick during the tournament, whilst safeguards against any team’s non-qualification are in place as a safety net for fans. FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke had previously said: “The goal of our tour operator program for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is to facilitate safe and effective travel to the matches for the largest possible number of fans from countries around the world”. With the Thomson Sport and Emirates contracts, the hope is that this aim can be achieved successfully.

Thomson Sport continues to strengthen their football links, after providing packages for the UEFA Under 21’s Championships in Sweden and the UEFA Women’s European Championships in Finland. England fans will be especially interested in these recent developments, as their team is currently on course for qualification with a 100% record so far, after displaying strong form with many robust performances under the leadership of Fabio Capello – the thoughts of many will already be drifting towards making travel plans for the finals in the southern hemisphere.

There England would be likely to face usual tournament suspects Brazil, Argentina, Germany and current World Champions Italy, along with current European Champions Spain, who are undergoing something of a renaissance and are presently ranked number one in the world by football’s governing body FIFA. They should also face stern tests should they come up against African opposition, including tournament hosts South Africa, who will be backed by passionate local support.

It will be the 19th staging of the World Cup, having first being won by Uruguay on home turf in 1930, and will be played out in 10 brand new or recently developed stadiums. The final will take place on July 11 in the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, which by then is expected to have an increased capacity of 94,700.