With just sixty days to go before the curtain raiser in Jo'burg 2010 World Cup fever is simmering away as excitement and tensions build.

Forgetting about any bad publicity about, civil unrest, ticket sales, accommodation and incomplete infrastructure, I am truly overwelmed about being part of the tournament, travelling down on June 25 for a week.

The visual imagery of these global events is very important to me and the following three World Cup Icons will soon be making a visit through your TV screens. Here's a quick guide to them.

The Official World Cup Emblem:

The piece graphically encapsulates the African continent, with a footballer doing an 'overhead kick' with resemblance to the earliest rock art paintings, famous in South Africa. The colours of the host flag swish up wards to welcome to world to South Africa. Creator Gaby de Abreu said "The continent (Africa) featured, because it is the first time the event will be on this continent...I thought the best way of showing off African flair would be the bicycle kick, people forget it very quickly but if you score from a bicycle kick you hear about it for years and years". For Gaby this design is his proudest achievement

The World Cup Ticket:

The long awaited World Cup ticket was unveiled recently. In a few short weeks they will be available for collection and football fans from around the globe will get their hands on these pieces of 'gold dust' The design looks quite striking with the Emblem taking centre stage. Information such as match details, stadium details, ticket cost and seat number all looks simple to read and their is a hologram and bar code for security. I can't wait to hold one and have a good look at it and call me sad, post tournament will proudly present them on the study wall.

The official Mascot. 'ZAKUMI':

The name ‘Zakumi' is a composition of ‘ZA' standing for South Africa and ‘kumi', which translates into ‘10' in various languages across Africa. This leopard is very proud to be the 2010 Mascot and is determined to make the most of the four week party. You will see him at all the matches both on the pitch and around the stadiums. Dancing around, playing football and sometimes teasing fans and players alike. Watch out though, he can have a tendency to drop off to sleep at any given moment but only temporaily.

"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon formally of Leeds Utd and close friend of Zakumi.

I can wait to catch up with him and get a photo of us playing football.

In the next article I will be exploring England's itinerary through to their opening match on June 12.