THIRTY-FIVE pupils from a Limpopo school will have the rare opportunity to watch one of the four World Cup matches at Peter Mokaba Stadium next month.

The pupils from Deeside Combined School in Letsitele outside Tzaneen were over the moon after being told that they would be watching one of the games live in Polokwane.

This comes after the school's director, Billy Eastman, bought them World Cup tickets at R140 each to watch the game between Paraguay and New Zealand on June 22.

Eastman, who is a staunch rugby fan, said he did not want the pupils to miss the World Cup because it was an opportunity of a lifetime. He said the World Cup might take many decades to be hosted in South Africa again.

Eastman said though the school had 450 registered pupils, he could only afford to buy tickets for 35 pupils and a farm team.

"I took a decision to do something for the pupils so that they would be able to remember this biggest sporting event on the globe," Eastman said.

Flanked by two of his teachers, Fanie Manganyi and Moffat Nhlangwana, Eastman paid about R4900 for the tickets at Shoprite in the Tzaneen CBD.

He said though he would not be at the stadium because he was a staunch rugby fan, the pupils would be accompanied by their teachers to watch their favourite sport.

The pupils said they were very excited because though they did not get tickets for any of the Bafana matches, their names would be counted among those who witnessed the World Cup live.