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Presidents & royalty to attend World Cup final

The guest list includes Queen Sofia of Spain (pictured) and outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende to lead support for the two finalists.

A bigger question over the final will be whether Nelson Mandela will attend, after missing the June 11 opening ceremony because of the death of his 13-year-old great grand-daughter in a traffic accident the night before.

The presence of Mandela, known affectionately by his clan name Madiba, would cap what is seen as a huge success by South Africa in hosting the continent's first World Cup.

Football's ruling body said the guest list included President John Atta Mills, of Ghana, the only one of six African countries in the finals to do well by equalling the continent's record of reaching the quarter-finals.

It said the list could change but also included President Robert Mugabe of neighbouring Zimbabwe, Monaco's Prince Albert, Qatari Emir (ruler) Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Nobel peace prize laureate Desmond Tutu and Spain's Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal.

King Mswati of Swaziland, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, is also due to attend.

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