World Cup Stadiums in South Africa

 The stunning location of Cape Town Stadium is just a stone's throw from the ocean with the mountains of Cape Town forming the backdrop for matches. The location is ideal as it is a short walk from the transportation hub of the city. One of the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, five first-round matches, one second-round match, one quarterfinal and one semifinal will kick-off at Cape Town Stadium.

A fundamental upgrade has transformed the old Green Point Stadium into a multi-purpose sports facility situated between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Town's seaboard suburb of Green Point. Cape Town Stadium is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009 and will provide seating for 70,000 people. It features a retractable dome to shelter spectators and players should Cape Town's unpredictable winter weather become unfavourable.

Without a doubt Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities around the globe, there's just so many things to do, fascinating history and culture, interesting people, excellent wine and cuisine. Cape Town's beaches are fabulous, there are so many amazing attractions and there's a plethora of outstanding accommodation to suit a wide spectrum of budgets - the Mother City has something for everyone.

 Situated on the North End Lake which is an idyllic setting for match days, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is the Eastern Cape's first dedicated football stadium. Features include a three-tier design with two rings of skyboxes. Five first-round, one second-round, one quarter-final, and the third-place play-off 2010 FIFA World Cup matches will kick off at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

The football crazy Port Elizabeth / Nelson Mandela Bay and Eastern Cape residents are the beneficiaries of this brand new futuristic multi-purpose stadium with seating for 50 000 spectators. The first newly built 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium was completed in early June 2009. It is conveniently located near the N2 highway, just a few kilometres from the coast and the port of Coega.

In close proximity to Port Elizabeth / Nelson Mandela Bay is the Addo Elephant National Park and two of South Africa's award winning private game reserves and lodges - Shamwari Game Reserve and Bushman Sands Hotel (featuring a world-class Gary Player designed golf course) along with many other accommodation options. Called the "Friendly City" for good reason, Port Elizabeth has great beaches and is a fun option for a football safari.

 Durban's stadium, the Moses Mabhida Stadium, will host one of the 2010 Fifa World Cup semi-finals. This brand new stadium is under construction next to the existing Absa Stadium and have seating for up to 80 000 fans. The whole area will be developed and incorporate Olympic standard football, athletics and swimming facilities.

The vibey and colourful semi-tropical city of Durban has strong eastern ties - it's a truly multicultural city with a strong emphasis on the beach. Pack your boardshorts or bikini, sunglasses and skimpy evening gear and revel in Durban's endless summer - it averages 320 days of sunshine a year! Needing some action? The surfing's great in the heart of the city and up or down the coast, there's awesome diving with sharks on the South Coast and beautiful coral reefs up in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, along with fantastic wildlife viewing there and at Hluhluwe/Umfolozi. Durban is KwaZulu-Natal's holiday Mecca and there's a wide range of beachfront accommodation to suit all pockets along the coastline.

 The Mbombela Stadium is one of the new stadiums to be constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Located just 8 km north of Nelspruit, the closest venue to the hugely popular Kruger National Park, it promises to be a popular and convenient location for a football safari. The brand new elevated stadium will be able to seat 40,000 people and have excellent views from all positions.

Gateway to Kruger National Park! The bustling boom town of Nelspruit in the heart of Mpumalanga is a busy commercial centre with excellent facilities, shopping malls and air links with Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Maputo. It’s a major stopover for traffic along the N4 for people en route to Kruger National Park, Swaziland and Mozambique. It promises to be a popular venue for a football safari, perfectly situated really close to Malelane Gate and Crocodile Bridge Gate of the Kruger National Park.

 The Peter Mokaba Stadium in the Limpopo Province is another brand new venue on the cards – another excellent spin-off from South Africa’s successful 2010 FIFA World Cup bid. Once construction is completed it will comfortably seat 46 000 people and be equipped with stylish international standard facilities. Peter Mokaba Stadium is scheduled to host four first-round matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Polokwani (Pietersburg) is the largest city in the Limpopo Province, an area of untamed wilderness possessing the quintessential spirit of Africa. The Big Five, Kruger National Park, the magical Modjadji Forest and countless exciting outdoor activities attract people from all over the globe – it’s another great option for a football safari.

 Bloemfontein / Mangaung certainly doesn’t lack when it comes to sports facilities and there’s a fine assortment – the 48 000-seater Free State Stadium is companion to an international standard athletics stadium, the Goodyear Park cricket grounds which is used for international matches, an artificial turf hockey stadium and great tennis facilities.

The 1995 Rugby World Cup brought about a significantly improved stadium with seating bordering the field. Bloemfontein Stadium has also hosted international football events – some of the 1996 African Cup of Nations matches were played here. Improvements are completed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the seating capacity enlarged to accommodate 48,000 people and upgrades to other facilities.

Bloemfontein is a wonderful stopover between Cape Town and Durban and the closest city to the Kingdom of Lesotho. Its biggest secret is that it's the birthplace of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Bloemfontein offers some reasonable and very good accommodation, restaurants, art galleries and museums.

 The fairly recently built Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in the North West Province is a multi-purpose venue that is now ready for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Improvements to the stadium have increased the seating capacity to 40,000 and provisioned it with state of the art electronic scoreboards and floodlights. It is named after the Royal Bafokeng community, a group who manage the world’s richest platinum mines and who exclusively funded the sports grounds. The stadium is entirely funded by the Royal Bafokeng community that presides over the world’s richest platinum mines in the North West province.

Rustenburg is a brilliant choice for a football safari lying on the edge of the Magaliesberg Wilderness area and is not too far from the awesome Madikwe Game Reserve, the Pilanesberg Game Reserve and glitzy Palace of the Lost City - a great escape for revellers and gamblers.

 One of South Africa’s top stadiums with a seating capacity for 50 000 people, Loftus Versfeld Stadium is situated in South Africa’s capital Pretoria (Tshwane) and is one of the 2010 FIFA World Cup venues. Five first-round matches and one second-round match will be hosted here in ePitoli. Home turf of the Premier Soccer League dynamos Mamelodi Sundowns, the Blue Bulls Currie Cup rugby team and the Bulls Super 12 rugby squad, it was also one of the primary venues for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In addition to being one of South Africa’s premier sporting venues, Loftus Versfeld is also a thriving venue for big concerts.

Tshwane, Pretoria, "Jacaranda City," ePitoli - this graceful city has enormous appeal, a fascinating history and is now a symbol of South Africa's true unity. It's an elegant, quiet city in complete contrast to its bustling neighbour, Johannesburg, which is just 50 km apart and less than an hours drive away.

 Situated in the heart of Jozi, Ellis Park Stadium will be the leading venue for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup with the opening ceremony and final game taking place there. And in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Ellis Park Stadium is tagged to host five first round matches, a second round match and one of the quarter-finals.

Home turf of the Golden Lions, Super 14, Lions, Orlando Pirates Football Club and also the premier concert event in South Africa, Ellis Park Stadium is also called Coca-Cola Park. In 1995 rugby fever hit the country with South Africa's hosting of the Rugby World Cup, the biggest event on the global rugby calendar.

Ellis Park Stadium was the venue for the Rugby World Cup Final which was played on 24 June 1995. In this spectacular final, New Zealand and South Africa ran onto the field at 14:45 to a thunderous roar of 62 000 spectators and millions of spectators glued in front of their televisions. South Africa won this game 15-12 after extra time was allowed. Ellis Park Stadium and the quality of rugby it represents became the symbol of South Africa's achievement as a nation united.

 The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off here! Home to South African football, Soccer City is the stadium where the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony and the final will take place. South Africa’s national football stadium, Soccer City was built in 1987 and is headquarters to the South African Football Association.

Host to the 1996 African Cup of Nations, Soccer City is South Africa’s prime football venue and it will be the most important venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup - the kick-off site for the opening and the final match. The original seating capacity for 80 000 people is currently being enlarged to accommodate 94 700 people for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Along with this, the precinct will have a fully functional transport hub including a railway station. The rail system will serve future industrial, commercial and residential developments planned for the area after the soccer tournament. Besides the rail station, the transport hub will have taxi, bus and rail drop off and pick up points. The total public transport capacity of the hub is projected to be 23 280 an hour.

Why we love it? Soccer City is the main match venue for South Africa’s football squad, Bafana Bafana, as well as the simmering contests between local Soweto club rivals, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
Source: www.joburg.org.za