Click here to watch South Africa in the World Cup live!

South Africa will become the first African nation to host the FIFA World Cup this summer and home fans will be hoping that the national team, fondly called Bafana Bafana, can go far in this tournament. See South Africa live at the 2010 Soccer World Cup from your control panel with the Live Sport Network.

South Africa’s only two previous appearances at the World Cup were in 1998 and 2002. In the former, they lost to Denmark and eventual champions France and managed to draw against Saudi Arabia thanks to Shaun Bartlett’s last gasp penalty in Bordeaux. They put up an improved showing four years later in Korea and Japan, but were pipped to a last sixteen spot by Paraguay. Both South Africa and Paraguay ended up with the same number of points and goal difference, but the South Americans went through as they had scored one goal more than Bafana Bafana.

Hosting the World Cup has often worked to the home team’s advantage, as we have already seen with England in 1966, Argentina in 1978 and France in 1998. Bafana Bafana also did quite well in last years’s Confederations Cup on home soil. They finished fourth in the tournament behind Brazil, USA and Spain. Brazil and Spain did manage to beat them, but Carlos Alberto Parreira’s men gave a decent account of themselves in both fixtures.

South Africa kick off the tournament on June 11 against Mexico in Johannesburg. Five days later in Pretoria, they will be seen in action against Uruguay. Their last game in Group A, also seen by many as their toughest, is against France in Bloemfontein on the 22^nd.

Catch live online streaming of South Africa’s World Cup games and all other 2010 World Cup fixtures by signing up with the Live Sport Network today.