FIFA World Cup 2010 Stadiums

Green Point Stadium - Cape Town

One of the most artistic football venues in South Africa, the newly-built Green Point Stadium is situated in one of the much sought-after areas in the city of Cape Town. Green Point Stadium is one of the two semi-final venues for the FIFA World Cup™.

Durban Stadium

The newly-built Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban will host one of the semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The ground epitomises the architectural innovation on display in South Africa and takes its design inspiration from the South African flag, with its grand arch representing the unity of this sport-loving nation.

Ellis Park Stadium - Johannesburg

Ellis Park Stadium is located in the centre of Johannesburg and has hosted many epic sporting events including the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup between Brazil and the United States. The ground was given a significant face-lift before the Confederations Cup finals and now seats 62,000 fans, increasing its capacity by almost nine per cent from the previous 57,000.

Soccer City Stadium - Johannesburg

The ground's design is inspired by the iconic African pot known as the calabash, and its aesthetic appeal will be heightened when the stadium is lit at night. Soccer City is located in Johannesburg' s southwest and is only a short distance from one of the country's football-crazy townships, Soweto.

Free State Stadium - Mangaung / Bloemfonteing

The Free State Stadium was upgraded from a capacity of 38,000 to 45,000 during the refurbishments. The stadium has hosted numerous major football and rugby union matches, and Bloemfontein' s natives are renowned for their passion for sport.

Port Elizabeth Stadium - Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will host the match for third place , and a quarter-final amid a total of eight matches during the FIFA World Cup. The stadium has an eye-catching, unique roof-structure and a spectacular view, overlooking the North End Lake.

Mbombela Stadium - Nelspruit

The Mbombela comes as a welcome addition to football life in Nelspruit, and will leave a legacy of the beautiful game for all the people ofMpumalanga. Before the Stadium's construction, Nelspruit had no top football venue to host international matches.

Peter Mokaba Stadium - Polokwane

The design of the largely concrete structure is inspired by the locally iconic Baobab tree, with the steel structure supporting the roof plane gathered together at each corner of the stadium and supported by giant ‘trunk' structures which accommodate vertical circulation ramps and service cores.

Royal Bafokeng Stadium - Rustenburg

The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is one of the stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The stadium is named after the Bafokeng people who live in the area.

Loftus Versfeld Stadium - Tshwane/Pretoria

Since 1948 it has undergone perennial upgrades. It has been used for both rugby and football matches and is home to one of the country's top rugby teams, the Blue Bulls. South Africa's national team, Bafana Bafana, achieved its first ever victory over a European side at this venue when they beat Sweden 1-0 in 1999.

Soccer City Stadium - Johannesburg

Soccer City Stadium is situated in Diepkloof near Nasrec, Johannesburg, some 10 kilometres to the south-west of the city centre (and close to the old west reef gold mines.). The stadium is the flagship venue for the Soccer World Cup 2010, and it will be hosting both the opening match and the final. Soccer City Stadium is the largest in Africa. The stadium is also known as FNB Stadium (First National Bank stadium). It is situated close to Ellis Park Stadium.

These are the Fifa World Cup matches being played at Soccer City Stadium:

11 Jun 16h00	14 Jun 13h30	17 Jun 20h30	20 Jun 20h30	23 Jun 20h30	27 Jun 20h30	2 Jul, 20h30	11 Jul, 20h30
SA 1 v Mexico 1	Holland v Denmark	Argentina v Korea R	Brazil v Ivory Coast	Ghana v Germany	Winners (B) v Runners up (A)	Quarterfinal	FINAL

(source)

The Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg underwent a major upgrade for the 2010 tournament, with a new design inspired by the shape of an African Pot. The South African main contrctor GLTA, part of the Aveng Group in a joint venture with the Dutch company BAMwho had a 25% stake constructed the upgrade, which was designed by the South African architects Boogertman + Partners who brought Populous on board the design team once construction had started on site in February 2007. The upgrade included: an extended upper tier around the stadium to increase the capacity to 88958, an additional 2 executive suites, an encircling roof, new changing room facilities and new floodlights. The number of suites in the stadium was increased to 195. Grinaker-LTA won the R1.5 billion tender to upgrade the stadium. The construction was completed on Wednesday, 21 October 2009, and was marked by a huge celebration at the stadium. (Wikipedia)