Zurich - South Africans are confident like never before about the nation staging the 2010 football World Cup, but concerns in the areas of crime and pricing remain.

The ruling football body FIFA said in a statement issued on Wednesday that a poll conducted by the Sport+Markt company revealed that three out of four residents say that South Africa will be ready on time for the event.

More important, 77 per cent of those polled said they were more confident about the tournament success than they were in 2004 when the nation was elected host by FIFA.

A vast majority believes that the June 11-July 11, 2010, tournament will unite the country, raise its image abroad and boost areas such as infrastructure and tourism.

However, 53 per cent are concerned about the country's notorious crime and 58 per cent fear that the World Cup will lead to inflated prices for residents. Traffic congestion is also a concern.

FIFA named the overall result of the poll encouraging for the big event as South Africans now appeared "to recognise the many advantages of hosting the event." (dpa)