South Africa 2010

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The consensus now is that most projects are on target, and Fifa are satisfied with progress. Confidence is on the increase too, and in a market research study conducted in December 2007, 76% of South Africans believed the country will be ready for 2010. Construction has started on the crop of state of the art stadiums. In Johannesburg, the FNB Stadium (also known as Soccer City) is being upgraded to hold 94,700 and will be the principal stadium that will host the opening ceremony, the final, and most of the important matches. This is located on the edge of Soweto, the former black township during Apartheid, and given that football is in the heart of all Africans, the whole of Soweto is euphoric that this stadium is on their doorstep. Also in Johannesburg, Ellis Park Stadium (where the Springboks won the 2005 Rugby World Cup) is being upgraded to 60,000 and will host one of the quarter-finals. In Durban, the Moses Mabidha Stadium is being built on the site of the demolished Kings Park Soccer Stadium and will hold 70,000 and will host one of the semi-finals. In Cape Town, Green Point Stadium is being built on the demolished old one and will hold 68,000 and will hold the other semi-final. Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld Stadium is being upgraded to a capacity of 52,000, a new 50,000 seat stadium is being built in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein’s Free State Stadium is being upgraded to a 48,000 capacity, the new Kimberley Stadium will seat 40,000 and is being built on the site of the demolished De Beers Stadium, in Polokwane the Peter Mokaba Stadium is being built on the demolished old one and will hold 45,000, in Nelspruit the 43,000 seater nMbombela Stadium is being built, while in Rustenburg the Royal Bafokeng Stadium is being upgraded to seat 40,000. Fifa require that all stadiums be ready for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup, one year before, and effectively the curtain raiser for the world cup. Additionally, fan parks are being planned in strategic locations across the country, where fans without match tickets will be able to watch on giant TV screens. At the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany, almost six times more people than the actual people in the stadiums watched the football in fan parks around the country, including many international visitors.


Copyright: Lizzie Williams,Author of Footprint to South Africa
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