A win against minnows Andorra at Wembley on 10 June will all but ensure that England qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, to be held in South Africa.
Nervousness surrounding the ascension of Jacob Zuma to the presidency of South Africa aside, the tournament should attract little, if any, unrest, particularly compared to the ill-fated torch relay before the Beijing Olympics. So it was with confidence that FIFA's global partner, Coca-Cola, last week launched the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, which will visit 87 cities in 84 countries from September.
Initial concerns that South Africa would not be able to host a World Cup led to reports that FIFA had put in place a contingency plan - a rumour football's governing body has denied. South Africa will hope to allay any lingering doubts by hosting the Confederations Cup later this month. Sponsors will be watching with interest.
Scheduling a World Cup to suit broadcasters in all key markets is impossible. While the matches will kick off at an ideal time for the European market, the lucrative emerging markets in Asia will get night-time games and, consequently, brands targeting the latter region, may find it harder to reach their objectives. When the 2002 World Cup was hosted by South Korea and Japan, cumulative TV viewing figures in Asia reached 11.1bn. Four years ago, when Germany staged the tournament, the figure dipped by nearly 2bn.
However, brands with a focus on Africa are set to prosper. For years, Puma has used its sponsorship of the Cameroon team, and star player Samuel Eto'o, to spearhead its marketing, and, although not an official sponsor, has pinpointed the first World Cup on the continent as a key event. The brand has sold products in South Africa for nearly 30 years and, while Africa accounts for only a fraction of its revenues, it aims to boost sales dramatically during and after the tournament. If qualification goes as expected, Puma could also gain exposure via Africa's other leading teams, including Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tunisia and Egypt.
Digital and mobile will play an unprecedented role in the fan experience in South Africa. Sony Ericsson will use its sponsorship of the World Cup to create a digital community of sports fans. Calum McDougall, head of sponsorship at Sony Ericsson, says 2010 will be the first 'social networking World Cup'. 'When you watch a game, you usually have your mobile with you. You take photos and record footage,' he says. 'We want to be at the core of the fans' experience. We will also have a lot of content to pass on through fans' mobiles. We will create a community. 'Castrol, which is sponsoring the 2010 and 2014 tournaments, also believes it can enhance fans' online experience. Its sponsorship of Euro 2008 centred on the Castrol Index, which evaluated players by tracking their movement during a game.
As a relative newcomer to the sport, Castrol will have to work hard to achieve the association that more established sponsors have achieved. According to Ipsos MORI, Budweiser reached a peak unprompted association with the World Cup of 23% in June 2006, ahead of Coke which had 18%.
'We are not just looking at statistics, but the insight behind the analysis,' says Castrol's head of marketing services for Europe and Africa, Mark Lawn. 'Media partners will take our information to create stimulus for conversation. We are considering mobile as well.'
Fans have a vital role to play if the tournament is to prove successful for brands. By April, there had been 1.6m applications for the first round of ticket sales, with South Africa residents accounting for 30%. The first match, semi-finals and final have sold out.
The first World Cup in Africa is a step into the unknown for FIFA, but all the indicators suggest South Africa 2010 will prove to be a carnival for fans and sponsors alike.