The 64 matches that will played at World Cup 2010 will take place at ten venues in nine different cities around South Africa.
Though there was a lot of concern about whether all of the construction, renovating, and upgrading would be done in time, it appears that every venue will be ready in plenty of time to be shown off well before the tournament kicks off in June.
Along with five already-existing stadiums that have undergone their share of renovations to be worthy of hosting World Cup matches, five new stadiums have been built for the tournament.
Below, you can find out basic information about each of the ten venues, and you can click on each stadium name to learn more about each venue.
Soccer City
Location: Johannesburg
Capacity: 94,700
Soccer City will host eight World Cup matches, and it has the honor of being the venue that will host both the tournament opener on June 11 and the final exactly a month later.
The stadium, which was opened in 1989, is located next to the headquarters of the South African FA, is the tournament’s biggest venue.
Moses Mabhida Stadium
Location: Durban
Capacity: 70,000
Moses Mabhida Stadium is the biggest of the new stadiums that has been constructed for World Cup 2010.
The stadium was declared complete in late November, and only days later, hosted its first official football match. It will host seven World Cup matches, including a semifinal tie on July 7.
Cape Town Stadium
Location: Cape Town
Capacity: 69,070
Cape Town Stadium is another one of the newly-built stadiums, having been constructed on the site of the now-demolished Green Point Stadium. Its capacity is nearly four times that of the old stadium, and like the tournament’s two biggest stadiums, will host eight World Cup matches, including the first semifinal on July 6.
Coca-Cola Park
Location: Johannesburg
Capacity: 62,567
Coca-Cola Park, which is commonly known by its former name, Ellis Park Stadium, will host seven World Cup matches, including one of the four quarterfinal ties.
Coca-Cola Park is one of the tournament’s older stadiums, having been opened in 1928, but it has undergone several renovations and modernizations. The latest renovations, which were completed in June 2008, increased the stadium’s capacity and upgraded several facilities and areas throughout the stadium.
Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Location: Pretoria
Capacity:51,760
Loftus Versfeld Stadium is the oldest stadium that will be a venue for World Cup 2010, as it’s been in use since the early 20th century. Renovations to make the stadium suitable for usage for the tournament were completed in January.
The stadium was one of the host venues for the Confederations Cup, and it will host six World Cup matches, including one round of 16 tie.
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Location: Port Elizabeth
Capacity: 48,000
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is another one of the new stadiums, and it was the first of the five new stadiums to be completed. It will host eight World Cup matches, and it will be the site of the third-place playoff on July 10.
Free State Stadium
Location: Bloemfontein
Capacity: 48,070
Free State Stadium was one of the four host venues for the Confederations Cup, and it will play host to six World Cup matches, including one of the round of 16 ties.
It would have been the smallest stadium in the tournament, but an additional tier was added to the main grandstand on the west side of the stadium to increase the capacity for more than 36,000 to 45,000.
Peter Mokaba Stadium
Location: Polokwane
Capacity: 46,000
Peter Mokaba Stadium is another one of the five newly-built venues, and it’s set for completion early next year. It will be one of the two least-used venues along with Mbombela Stadium, as it will host only four group stage matches.
Mbombela Stadium
Location: Nelspruit
Capacity: 44,000
Mbombela Stadium, which is set to be officially opened sometime this month, is going to host four group stage matches.
One of the most eye-catching features of this new stadium is the 18 giraffe-like roof supports that give the stadium the nickname of, as you would correctly guess, the ‘Giraffe Stadium’.
Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Location: Phokeng (near Rustenburg)
Capacity: 42,000
Even with an 12,000-person increase in capacity, Royal Bafokeng Stadium brings up the rear capacity-wise for the ten World Cup venues. It was one of the host venues for the 2009 Confederations Cup, and it will host six World Cup matches, including one round of 16 tie.
To learn more about each of the nine World Cup 2010 host cities, check out our World Cup 2010 host cities section.
Also See: The 10 Largest Football Stadiums.
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