England boss Fabio Capello visits Rustenburg in February
England's World Cup entourage depart for South Africa on Wednesday evening at 2100 BST after manager Fabio Capello trimmed his squad down to 23 players.
The team arrive at Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport on Thursday morning before heading north-west to their World Cup base in Rustenburg.
The newly built multi-million pound Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus will be England's home during the tournament.
Arsenal striker Theo Walcott was the biggest omission from the final squad.
The 21-year-old was named in the starting line-up of both of England's recent friendly victories against Mexico and Japan, but his performances were not enough to convince Capello of a World Cup place.
Former England defender Graeme Le Saux believed Walcott's lack of penetration on the right wing during the two matches sealed his fate.
"When he plays on his instincts, he is fantastic, but he is very similar to Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips in that respect, which is why I think he is not in the squad," former Blackburn left-back Le Saux told BBC Radio 5 live.
"He was given a great chance against Mexico, did some decent things, but when it came to the final pass, he just didn't show it. That really was an audition that went wrong for him.
 England's players will be surrounded by luxury in Phokeng the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus
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"The most important part of being a top footballer is the decisions you make in good positions - do you take the player on or do you pass the ball?"
Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, club team-mate and midfielder Tom Huddlestone, Sunderland striker Darren Bent, Manchester City winger Adam Johnson, West Ham midfielder Scott Parker and Everton full-back Leighton Baines also missed out from Capello's provisional 30-man squad.
The team and back-room staff travelling to South Africa will meet at their English base in Hertfordshire at 1700 BST, when they will receive their World Cup suits and eat dinner together.
At 1830, they will travel to Heathrow Airport before boarding a Virgin plane bound for Johannesburg, but not before one last photocall at the back of the plane.
Capello's team have nine days of preparation before they face the USA in their opening Group C match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on 12 June.
Their base is just eight miles from the venue in Phokeng, nestled upon the world's largest platinum reserves, and is also home to the 300,000-strong Royal Bafokeng Nation.
The luxurious Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus has seven training pitches as well as a medical centre for Capello's back-room staff to work with.
Rustenburg is based in South Africa's Highveld, about 1500m above sea level, where there is less oxygen in the air than at sea level.
Capello's preparations to counter the rarefied conditions have included a two-week training camp based in Erdning in the Austrian Alps.
Over 20,000 England fans are expected to fly out to Rustenburg for the first match against the USA.
The Foreign Office has advised all fans to consult their website before flying out to South Africa.
Watch highlights of England's World Cup qualifying campaign
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