Young had spent almost nine years working for the International Rugby Board, who own the World Cup. In this time, Young played a major role in 2003 in Australia, and 2007 in France. He is now working on New Zealand’s preparations for this year’s World Cup.

Since Young has been involved, Rugby’s biggest tournament has generated record surpluses for the IRB to invest in the development of the Game. Now installed as one of the world’s top three global sporting events, Rugby World Cup attendance topped over 2m in 2007.

Rugby tickets are available here.

Tonight the national team will board an aeroplane at Heathrow to OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, and then business will truly begin.

With ten days until England’s opening match against the United States, there is still time to join them in South Africa – and thousands of World Cup tickets are still on sale from just £81.

England v USA tickets at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg are available from £153
England v Algeria tickets at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town are available from £103
England v Slovenia tickets at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth are available from £81

Although Capello’s final squad has attracted plenty of questions, there still remains a very real undercurrent of hope in England that this could be the most successful tournament since the  run to the semi-finals in 1990. A look at their projected path to the final – should they progress that far – shows that the knockout stage features some dangerous teams, but ones that can be beaten.

Having won their most recent two international friendly matches against Mexico and Japan, England are the favourites to top Group C, and in that scenario would play the second placed team in Group D: Germany, Serbia, Ghana, or Australia.

Group C winners v Group D runner-up tickets at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg are available from £123

Should they emerge from the second round victorious, they would be expected to play France in the quarter finals.

World Cup Quarter Final tickets are available from £164

While French coach Raymond Domenech has attracted widespread criticism for his bizarre management style – which reportedly includes selection based on astrology signs – his team still has a number of talented players in their ranks. France have also participated in two of the last three World Cup Finals, in 1998 and 2006.

If England were to triumph over the French, their semi-final would be at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town – against the best national side in football history: Brazil.

World Cup Semi Final tickets are available from £355

Stars of Brazil sides over the years have included Pele, Zico, Romario, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, and this year’s tournament offers Kaká the chance to shine behind Luis Fabiano up front. With a world class keeper in Julio César, and solid defence thanks to the likes of Lucio, this will be a tremendously difficult task for England to overcome.

There would be no shame in going out at the semi final stage, and a bronze medal might be some consolation.

World Cup Third Place Playoff tickets are available from £131

Still, should they put in an incredible performance and beat Brazil for the first time since March 1990, they would then perhaps face either Spain or Argentina in the World Cup Final.

World Cup Final tickets are available from £560

Capello has publicly stated that he is aiming no lower than the final, but England haven’t beaten Spain since 2001 in Sven-Göran Eriksson’s first match in charge. They have since lost the last three encounters.

The record against Argentina is a sight better, and England v Argentina matches certainly have a history of drama. A wonder goal from the eighteen year old Michael Owen could not prevent England being eliminated on penalties in the 1998 World Cup second round – with David Beckham being sent off for a kick on Diego Simeone. Still, Beckham was redeemed four years later in South Korea, when he scored the winning penalty in the 2002 Group Stage match.

Although he is contracted to Los Angeles Galaxy, there will be no Hollywood climax to Beckham’s career with a World Cup win; an injury to his Achilles tendon has ruled him out of the tournament.  Nevertheless, Beckham is set to play a role in England’s effort to claim the FIFA World Cup trophy – he will travel with the squad as moral support.

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They may well be the dark horses for the tournament – despite being written off in nearly all quarters.

Much criticised coach Raymond Domenech has recently tested a more attacking 4-3-3 formation, which will make them substantially easier on the eye. Although this new strategy only helped the team to a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica in a recent international friendly, that was mostly thanks to an incredible display from opposition goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Ribery and Manchester United full back Patrice Evra combined excellently down the left, while Yoann Gourcuff and Sidney Govou also excelled.

There are still over 2000 World Cup tickets left for France’s Group A games, and there is still time to get to South Africa for the holiday of a lifetime.

Uruguay v France tickets are on sale from £93
France v Mexico tickets are on sale from £90
France v South Africa tickets are on sale from £118

Despite potentially dangerous opposition in Diego Forlan’s Uruguay, recent England opponents Mexico and host nation South Africa, one would expect France to progress to the second round as winners of Group A. They will have extra incentive to do so, for the first knockout stage will most probably be tough for second place qualifiers: Group A runner-up v Group B winners would almost certainly mean facing Argentina in the second round. While that would be a hugely difficult task for either team, it has all the makings of a potential classic. Tickets are available from £140.

Group A winners v Group B runner-up would see France most likely face one of South Korea, Nigeria and Greece, who would be far more agreeable opponents from a French perspective.

From there, anything can happen. There is excellent value to be found in buying France tickets at this summer’s World Cup, and after appearances in two of the last three World Cup Finals, who would bet against the French to triumph again?

Brazil are the most feared side in any World Cup, for they are the nation to have won the competition the most, with five triumphs, and their ability to produce supremely gifted players such as Pele, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka is unrivalled in world football.

There are still a limited amount of tickets available to the Ireland vs. Brazil game at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday March 2nd, and Tixdaq.com is the place to get them. This is a fantastic opportunity to see one of the best teams in the world in the UK beginning at the great price of £39, so get yours today!

Compare and buy Ireland vs. Brazil tickets online now!

After the conclusion of Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League the group stage has finally come to an end giving us the names of all the 16 teams that will fight it out in the knockout section of the competition.

No nation is currently dominating the competition though England’s Barclays Premier League and Spain’s La Liga both had three group winners – those teams constituted their total amount of representatives after Liverpool and Atletico Madrid fell at the first hurdle. There are also three teams from Italy’s Serie A left in the competition while France’s Ligue 1 and Germany’s Bundesliga each have two teams  left in the tournament. The final three spots are made up of one team each from Portugal, Russia and Greece.

The list of qualifers for the second round in full:

Bordeaux (FRA)

Manchester United (ENG)

Real Madrid (ESP)

Chelsea (ENG)

Fiorentina (ITA)

Barcelona (ESP)

Sevilla (ESP)

Arsenal (ENG)

Bayern Munich (GER)

CSKA Moscow (RUS)

AC Milan (ITA)

FC Porto (POR)

Lyon (FRA)

Inter Milan (ITA)

Stuttgart (GER)

Olympiacos (GRE)

The draw for the second round will take place on December 18.

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Much has been made about Group G – the so-called ‘Group of Death’ – that has pitted Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast against each other but Group D should not be underestimated for its difficulty.

Germany are the standout team and would certainly be expected to progress into the knockout stages. Their record in the FIFA World Cup is exceptional having made seven appearances in the final, lifting the trophy on three occasions.  Players such as Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose bring extensive tournament experience to the squad but young stars Mesut Ozil and Aaron Hunt will also figure in a more dynamic side than that of the traditional German stereotype.

But it is the the other three sides in the group that will be fighting for the second qualification spot.

Australia’s switch to the Asia zone has paid dividends already as they made a smooth journey to South Africa without the need for a playoff. A rugged side, they might just lack a cutting edge and Everton’s Tim Cahill will be vital to any Australian success.

Ghana are another muscular side who will couple skill and physicality to bustle their way through the competition. Chelsea’s Michael Essien is their marquee player and he will lead the team from midfield with his all-action style. Stephen Appiah will also add know-how to the Black Stars as they bid to make the second round and beyond.

Serbia round off Group D and they are a side that cannot be underestimated. They east European nation qualified ahead of France and have a stern looking defence marshalled by Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. Another physically powerful team, they will be no pushovers.

Prediction: Germany top, Serbia to sneak second place – and lots of yellow cards!

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will kick off on June 11th at Soccer City in Johannesburg when South Africa take on Mexico in Group A.

The opening match will certainly have a lot of African flavour to it and the sound of the ‘vuvuzuelas’ – air horns that collectively sound like a swarm of particularly irate bees – will begin to leave their indelible mark on the tournament.

It remains to be seeen how well the hosts prosper especially as they are ranked just 86th in the world but playing on home soil can certainly raise performances – just look at South Korea‘s run to the semi-final in 2002.

Mexico had a troubled qualifying  campaign which began poorly under the auspices of Sven Goran Eriksson and finished rather better under Javier Aguirre. The CONCACAF team are always a handy team whan it comes to major tournaments but it will be major surprise if they made it past the quarter finals.

Uruguay add to the latin feel to the group and they take on France in the early evening of the same day. The South American’s had to qualify via a playoff against Costa Rica but the two-time winners will be no pushovers.

The favourites to win the group are undoubtedly France. They may have had a torrid and controversial time in reaching South Africa in the first place but with two appearances in the final in the last three tournaments they have the know-how to negotiate tricky situations. It will also be the last chance for players such as Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and William Gallas to make a mark at such a lofty level so they will not lack for motivation.

Prediction: France to qualify top with Mexico second.

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This weekend sees one of the fiercest rivalries in football take place when AS Roma take on neighbours Lazio in Serie A.

Both teams share the Stadio Olimpico in the Italian capital for their home matches though that is where their mutual co-operation ends.

AS Roma traditionally draw their support from those with a leftist political persuasion and communist flags are a familiar feature in the stands at their matches. Lazio supporters meanwhile are more commonly associated with elements from the far-right and the club are often in trouble with the authorites due to their fans brandishing swastika-emblazoned flags as well as other fascist insignia and slogans.

There is no love lost in the stands and those feelings also stretch to those involved on the pitch. Roma’s talisman Francesco Totti has already fanned the flames prior to this particular encounter by belittling Lazio striker Mauro Zarate.

“For me there are other champions. He’s a good player but he certainly isn’t a champion. He still has to grow,” said Totti.

Though always a passionate occasion the match has a differing significance for each team. Lazio are currently hovering above the bottom three and will be looking for their first win in thirteen Serie A matches when they meet their arch-rivals on Sunday.

AS Roma have been resurgent under new manager Claudio Ranieri and will be gunning for all three points in order to drive them up the table towards European qualification.

Whatever the result, it will be a colourful, raucous and spicy affair.

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England have been named as one of the top seeds for the FIFA World Cup draw that is to take place in Cape Town on Friday.

There was fear amongst FA officials that England might just miss out on a place amongst the elite and therefore risk being paired with the likes of Spain or Brazil. Thankfully for Fabio Capello and his squad that eventuality has been avoided though with Portugal and France in Pot 2 and a strong Ivory Coast team in Pot 3 there is still no room for complacency.

The draw will be held at 17:15 GMT on Friday 4th December

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Individual bids have been received from France, Italy and Turkey while a joint proposal has been put forward from Sweden-Norway to host the UEFA’s 2016 European football championships.

UEFA said in a statement Tuesday it would consider ‘any previous experience of relevant member associations, cities and venues in organizing multi-venue sports events’ before confirming an official list of bidders in the next month.

Each of the candidates must prepare a bid dossier by February 2010 followed by UEFA’s executive committee decision which will announced May 2010.

The 2016 tournament will see a shift in the tournament’s format and size. Euro 2016 will feature 24 teams after UEFA decided last year to increase the field from 16. UEFA requires the 2016 host to provide nine stadiums each holding at least 30,000 spectators. A 50,000-capacity stadium is needed for the final.

France last hosted the Euros in 1984 when current UEFA president Michel Platini captained the home team to the first of its two European titles. Italy staged the eight-team tournament in 1980, after the finals were expanded into a single-venue event with a group stage and knockout matches for the first time.

Sweden hosted the Euros in 1992 when just four stadiums were needed. Norway has never hosted a European championship and has qualified only once. While Turkey would also be hosting a European championship for the first time. Last year the Turkish government offered to host Euro 2012 if Poland and Ukraine were unable to meet their deadlines to complete preparations.