Sixteen months from the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, FIFA begins the ticketing process on Friday with its first sales phase kicking off via FIFA.com starting at 1:00 pm in South Africa (or 6 am ET/3 am PT).

"The fervor is already palpable within South Africa and all around the world; everyone wants to take part in this extraordinary event," said FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke. "Our ticketing policy has been drawn up to reflect our determination to ensure that FIFA's flagship competition is accessible to all soccer fans."
The initial, online-only phase runs through March 31, with all individuals that successfully register by the deadline being equally eligible (read: there is no "first come, first served" weight) for a random draw that will be conducted on April 15 to determine which applicants receive tickets for oversubscribed matches.

Within South Africa, residents will have the chance to fill out ticket registration forms available only at FNB National Bank locations. Read the original story...