CAPE TOWN – The world economic downturn has forced World Cup organisers to review initial projected ticket sales, but host South Africa on Friday was confident of full stadiums.

"I suppose everybody should be worried about the ticket sales when they are not sold at the rate they expected," sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile told journalists ahead of June kick-off.

"When the World Cup was awarded to us in 2004, the economic situation was completely different to what it is today. We have to revisit those projections and be realistic. That is how we see the issue of tickets being sold."

Two thirds of three million tickets were sold by February, ahead of the June 11 start.

The economic situation had forced world football body FIFA, which last month upped the number of cheap seats to get more South Africans into stadiums, to review its ticket pricing, said Stofile.

"We are dealing with a very difficult economic situation," he said.

"But even then, we are absolutely satisfied that the tickets that have been sold to date and the tickets that will be sold will not embarrass FIFA, will not embarrass South Africa.

"The stadia will be full. It will depend of course on who is playing who."

Speaking in Pretoria, Stofile said key areas like transport, security and South Africa's power supply were on track.

"South Africa is ready, South Africa is willing, and South Africa is able to host the world in June and July 2010," he said.

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