Not for more than 30 years has the tournament been hosted in winter, with the 1978 finals in Argentina the last to take place in the southern hemisphere.

On the one hand South American nations have triumphed every time the tournament has been on that continent, but on the other the cooler conditions could just suit northern European teams like England and Germany.

So why does temperature play such a major role? According to Julian Mayes, a senior meteorologist at MeteoGroup UK Limited, it is a factor that can help players adapt quicker to the environment, something which could prove key during the 30-day tournament.

"The weather can affect the comfort of both spectators and players and adverse weather, of course, can also make travel to stadiums more difficult," he told Press Association Sport.

"However, the South African winter will present few of the problems encountered in, say, northern Europe in the football season.

"Most venues can expect a large number of fine, sunny days, with moderate temperatures during the day and rather cool evenings."

Although the weather may not be as big a problem in the Rainbow Nation during next year's event, several players from Brazil are known to have complained about it at the Confederations Cup this past June.

But despite their grumblings, they still went on to win the title and they are almost certain to again be among the main challengers in 2010, when they bid for a sixth title.

Seven of the venues - the two in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Nelspruit and Polokwane - are all inland, where the weather does change a lot between summer and winter.

Mayes continued: "There are large variations in the weather both north-south and east-west. Northern and central areas have dry, fine winters with the sub-tropical high pressure systems giving mostly settled weather.

"Evenings and nights can be chilly, especially up on the Highveld, in places such as Johannesburg and Pretoria.

"Further south, towards Cape Province, the climate resembles that of the Mediterranean, with a greater chance of rain in the winter as depressions push eastwards through the southern oceans.

"The east coast and the Drakensburg mountains have a more humid climate, though this feature is less important in winter than in summer. Aridity increases westwards in all but the far south."

These cities are also all situated at altitude, something that most coaches, including England boss Fabio Capello, are worried about as this affects the breathing system of players and the way the ball travels, to name a few issues of concern.

In terms of weather, Mayes explains what difference height above sea level makes, adding: "The most obvious effect of high altitude is to promote rather chilly evenings and nights, though frost is unlikely to affect any of the host cities to any noticeable degree.

"Snow is not unknown at the higher sites, even those towards the centre and north of the country on the Highveld, but it is commonest on the Drakensburg mountains, well away from the host cities.

"The effects of latitude are reduced by the fact that the southern-most venues are close to sea level, such as Cape Town and Port Elizabeth."