Forty years ago, Mexico hosted its first World Cup. It was also first for FIFA, since the tournament had never been held anywhere other than in Europe and South America. Unfortunately, the football organization forgot to plan for the broiling heat of verano mexicano.

Temperatures were routinely far above 35 degrees Celsius that summer in 1970. This, in combination with the country's high altitudes, left players struggling and unable to perform their best. FIFA did not help matters by pandering to various television networks, agreeing to schedule many of the matches at noon. One of these happened to be the final, and Brazil's victory over Italy came after a grueling 90 minutes of play time when the sun was at its hottest and highest.

Africa's inaugural foray into World Cup hosting this year is, once again, another first for FIFA. Luckily, with South Africa's southern hemisphere location, the probability of stifling heat is pretty low. June and July are winter months for the country, which means nothing above 25 degrees Celsius according to the South African Weather Service.

The cooler weather should result in faster football. This time around, a good chunk of matches are being held at night when temperatures average around 3 to 12 degrees Celsius. While fans in the stands may be shivering, chances are players on the field will be attacking aggressively from start to finish.

Things might not run as smoothly off the field. There are fears that swine flu could crop up again in the Rainbow Nation. During last year's winter, 12,642 people country-wide were infected with the H1N1 virus and 93 people died. With hundreds of thousands of spectators arriving from abroad for the World Cup, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said an accompanying flu reemergence is one of his "biggest nightmares." FIFA is taking precautions, advising that the 32 teams in competition have their players vaccinated ahead of time.

Until the event begins, though, any discussion of a flu outbreak is purely speculative. What makes the upcoming season a more likely Shakespearean "winter of our discontent" is the performance lineup for the World Cup's kickoff concert. To the chagrin of South African artists it will be an American pop-dominated show. International superstars Alicia Keys, John Legend, Black Eyed Peas and Shakira will be headlining along with eight other acts, but only three of these are South African (The Parlotones, BLK JKS and Vusi Mahlasela). The country's Creative Workers' Union has threatened to protest over the perceived slight since late March.

But even winters of discontent can be fixed. Proceeds from the concert are going toward building 20 Football for Hope centers around the African continent, according to FIFA. The centers, five of which will be in South Africa, aim to bring improved education and health services to disadvantaged young people. Hopefully it's these – and not sub-par playing, flu fears or snubbed artists – that will have the greatest impact long after Africa's first World Cup has ended.