Away from the football pitch, South Africa is using the spotlight on the World Cup to highlight the country's severe Aids problem.
The most developed nation on the African continent has the highest rate of HIV and Aids in the world.
During the four weeks the tournament lasts, almost 23,000 South Africans will die of Aids-related illnesses, and another 250,000 will die this year.
Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports from Johannesburg on the need for better education and prevention programmes.
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