Football fans planning to make the trip to South Africa to follow England in the World Cup this summer are being advised to buy travel money online sooner rather than later, as the South African rand is expected to increase in strength over the next three months as international attention turns to the country.

The rand is the official currency of South Africa, and the latest figures from RBC Capital in London are predicting the rand to reach a peak of 6.75 to the dollar by the end of the World Cup on 11 July.

The company’s emerging-market strategist, Nigel Rendell, told Moneyweb: “Investors are going to push the rand stronger as we approach the World Cup, which will attract quite a lot of money into the country.

“South Africa is going to be on the front page of every newspaper in the world for the month of the World Cup so there’ll be lot of positive sentiment for the currency. The economy is also recovering a lot faster than we thought it would.”

What this means for the 100,000 football fans making the trip from the UK to South Africa is that they can secure a better exchange rate when buying rand online ahead of their trip.

If you’re heading to South Africa this summer for the World Cup, read OnlineFX’s currency guide to South Africa to find out where you can spend your travel money, and learn what you need to know if you’re planning on making a money transfer to South Africa. Travellers to South Africa should also be aware that the maximum amount that can be brought into and out of the country is 5,000 rand (approximately £470).

The good news for anyone heading overseas to catch the World Cup is that you won’t be stuck with leftover travel money once you come back to the UK. If you choose OnlineFX, we’ll buy back your South African rand at a competitive exchange rate and we will then transfer your sterling amount to your designated account.