The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Phokeng, near the host city of Rustenburg, earns the distinction of being the smallest venue for World Cup 2010. Small as it may be, however, it will be one of the prime venues for the tournament, as it will host four group stage matches and two second round matches.
The stadium is named for the Royal Bafokeng Nation, who live in the area and earn a sizable share from the area’s mining operations.
While it has that aforementioned distinction of being the smallest host venue, it also has the distinction of being the newest stadium out of the five already-constructed venues, having been built in 1999.
Given its newness, the most major renovation to the stadium might have been the expansion of capacity from 38,000 to 42,000. It also received new electronic scoreboards and seats, and the floodlights and public address system were also upgraded.
The stadium was also one of the four host venues for the 2009 Confederations Cup, and it was the venue for the third-place playoff thriller between Spain and South Africa, which the reigning European champions won 3-2 in extra time.
See all 2010 World Cup Stadiums.
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