In developing countries such as South Africa, mega events can demand a significant component of scarce national resources. The 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa is one such example. This work assessed the planning process, resource allocation, and developmental benefits from the 2010 World Cup and made recommendations as to how changes could be made to the planning and implementation process to maximise the benefits for the country in alignment with the national developmental objectives of poverty alleviation, economic growth and sustainable development, including climate change. This work was one of three such mega-event assessments undertaken, the other two being Brazil and India. These three were synthesized into lessons for international bodies managing such events (e.g. Olympic Committee and FIFA).  The work was supported by the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). The final report was launched during COP17 in Durban and is available on the KAS-Website at www.kas.de/suedafrika/en/publications/29583/ .