What are the venues for the World Cup in South Africa?

Loftus Versfeld Stadium

City: Tshwane/Pretoria

Completion: First built in 1906, upgraded and completed in 2008

Condition: Minor renovation

Capacity: 50,000 people

Loftus Stadium is one of the oldest stadiums in South Africa. First, it was built in 1903 and was officially completed and put into use three years later. It was referred to as the East District Sports Ground. At that time, the stadium was extremely crude. In 1923, the Pretoria City Hall renovated it and added a concrete structure building, which gave the stadium its initial scale. In 1928, when the powerful New Zealand rugby national team came here to compete, the stadium union made huge profits by erecting changing rooms and toilets, which also made Loftus Stadium famous. In March 1932, Robert Owen Loftus, the founder of the Pretoria Sports Association, died unexpectedly of illness. Since then, the stadium has been officially named Loftus Stadium.

But Loftus must have never imagined that his descendants would "abandon" him several times for financial gains. On June 11, 1998, the Japanese company Minolta named it, and Loftus Stadium was immediately renamed Minolta-Loftus Stadium. It was not until February 2003 that the Japanese name was shed. However, a few days later, Loftus Stadium had another British name. On February 5 of the same year, the famous British security company Securicor obtained the naming rights. It was not until September 1, 2005, that the South African telecommunications giant Vodacom took over and redeemed the name rights for Loftus Stadium.

Since 1906, Loftus Stadium has been upgraded many times. Before the World Cup, the stadium was last renovated in 1984. It is precisely because of the continuous upgrading that Loftus Stadium has become the most trouble-free among the ten stadiums in South Africa. In order to prepare for the World Cup, Loftus Stadium only carried out simple repairs and replaced a small part of the facilities. Mainly Focused on modifications to floodlights, electronic scoreboards and live sound.

As one of the oldest stadiums in South Africa, Loftus Stadium has hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 1996 African Cup of Nations, and many large-scale concerts. On April 17, 2006, when UB40 and Robbie Williams came here to tour, 56,000 people came to watch. When Canadian diva Celine Dion started singing in 2008, 8 people poured into Loftus Stadium. Thousands of people. Currently, the stadium is the home of South African domestic league powerhouse Mamelodi Sundowns, as well as the home of South Africa's top domestic rugby team, the Blue Bulls. Many South African fans regard Loftus Stadium as a blessed place for the national team, because they defeated a European team for the first time in this stadium. In 1999, the South African national team defeated the Nordic powerhouse Sweden 1-0 here. Team.

It must be mentioned that Pretoria, where Loftus Stadium is located, is a Europeanized city, and the streets are almost all white. The market is prosperous, the streets are clean, the scenery is beautiful, and the flowers and trees are prosperous. It is known as the "Garden City". There are also many purple weeds planted on both sides of the streets in the city, so it is also named "Ziwei City". The city of Pretoria was founded in 1855 and was named after South Africa's first president, Dutch immigrant Martinus Pretorius. However, in 2005, after the unification of the South African Geographical Name Change Committee, Pretoria was renamed "Tshwane", which was the name of one of the first black chiefs to settle there, with the intention of breaking with the apartheid era. Perhaps, to celebrate this move, four African teams will be guests at this World Cup.

Hosting Venue

Time Group Match

06.13 Group D Serbia VS Ghana

06.16 Group A South Africa VS Uruguay

06.19 Group E Cameroon VS Denmark

06.23 Group C United States VS Algeria

06.25 Group H Chile VS Spain

06.29 1/8 finals F1VSE2

Peter Mokaba Stadium

City: Polokwane

Completion: 2010

Status: New

Capacity: 46,000 people

Mokaba Stadium is the last of the ten stadiums to be built for the World Cup in South Africa. It is a professional football stadium and will be completed on the eve of the World Cup. The new stadium was built near the old Petersburg Stadium. The design of the stadium was inspired by the local baobab trees. Three sides of the stadium are open-air, and the other side is made of a steel structure that supports the entire roof plane. It is expected to be able to Capacity 46,000 people. The Mokaba Stadium is only 5 kilometers away from the center of Pauloguani and is very suitable for spectators to watch the game.

The Peter Mokaba Stadium is named after the famous anti-racial politician Peter Mokaba, who was born in Paul Guani. Mokaba is South Africa's most controversial figure. He was born in 1959 on a small farm in Petersburg. His growth and education process were the best portrayal of black people's resistance to the white apartheid government at that time. He rose to prominence in middle school and was elected as the chairman of the African Youth Congress. He led blacks to continuously fight against the white government. He became a frequent visitor to prison. He also escaped the danger of assassination and even caused trouble for his family. In anger, she went to Mozambique and Angola to receive military training, vowing not to give up until the white government was overthrown. One can imagine her inner hatred for the white people. The slogan "One bullet, one South African farmer" is the product of this mentality, which had a profound impact on the 1994 South African presidential election and the Mandela era.

On June 9, 2002, Mokaba died of "respiratory problems." At his funeral, everyone including Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki chanted Mokaba's slogan "One bullet, one South African farmer". In the end, Mandela handled it appropriately. Although he shouted slogans at Mokaba's funeral, he immediately gave a speech calling on the black people in South Africa to bury racist hatred with Mokaba. Soon after, Fort Peters was renamed the City of Pauloguani, meaning "Safe City."

The construction of Mokaba Stadium to host the World Cup is a great blessing to the local residents, because Limpopo ranks first in the number of registered players in the South African Football Association. Hosting a top event like the World Cup will undoubtedly Further promote the popularity of football in the local area. Another thing that the people of Paulo Guani are talking about is that Chelsea’s star player and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba made his national team debut at the old Mokaba Stadium. In the African Cup qualifiers that year, he was only 21 years old. The year-old Drogba made his debut in an international competition, but he failed to help C?te d'Ivoire save the defeat, and the Elephants lost 1-2.

Drogba himself is also full of feelings for South Africa. He said: "In the World Cup, we not only represent C?te d'Ivoire, but also represent the entire Africa." In the fan selection announced by FIFA's official website in February this year In the ranking of the most watched shooters in the World Cup, Drogba also received huge support. He topped the list with an approval rate of 29.06%, with Spanish forward Torres and Cameroon forward Eto'o ranking second and third respectively. Unfortunately, the new Mokaba Stadium in this World Cup will miss the former African Footballer of the Year. Among the five African teams, only Algeria, the weakest, will be a guest here.

Hosting Venue

Time Group Match

06.13 Group C Algeria VS Slovenia

06.17 Group A France VS Mexico

06.22 Group B Greece VS Argentina

06.24 Group F Paraguay VS New Zealand

Royal Bafokeng Stadium

City: Lu Rustenburg

Completion: 1999, upgraded in 2010

Condition: Minor renovation

Capacity: 42,000 people

Royal Banfalcon Stadium is located in the administrative capital of Royal Banfalcon State in the North-West Province, near the city of Rustenburg. The stadium was built in 1999. It is a comprehensive stadium. In addition to hosting football activities, it can also host rugby and other comprehensive sports.

The stadium is named after the local Banfokan people, whose population is now only about 30,000. In 1999, the Bamfokeng people obtained a legal agreement that gave them 22% ownership of all the platinum mines in the area, as well as a stake in Impala Platinum, the world's second largest platinum producer. The Royal Banfokan Stadium is very distinctive. From a distance, it looks a bit like a sailboat. In order to host the World Cup, Royal Bamfokeng Stadium was upgraded. The west stand was expanded and a cantilever worth 45 million was added. It also included a new electronic scoreboard, new seats, lighting equipment and broadcasting systems. The capacity has also been expanded from 38,000 to 42,000. Even so, it is still the smallest of the ten stadiums in the World Cup in South Africa.

Interestingly, the city of Rustenburg, where the Royal Bamfoken Stadium is located, is also a small city in the North-West Province of South Africa. It was established in 1850 and is close to the Magresburg Mountains. In Dutch, Rustenburg means "rest town". Just like its implication, Rustenburg is simply like a city in a town, extremely desolate. The Royal Banfoken Stadium is hidden behind a mountain remote from the "town" and 12 kilometers from the city center. If there weren't event flags hanging along the road, no one would know there was a course here. However, it is only a 25-minute drive from Sun City, a famous tourist destination in South Africa that has hosted five consecutive Miss World elections.

There are creative and unique artificial beaches, lifelike artificial earthquake bridges, beautiful golf courses and artificial lakes, as well as the largest gambling city in South Africa. And it’s only half an hour’s drive to Princesburg, South Africa’s national park.

Although the football atmosphere here is not strong, many classics have been left behind. In the 2001 World Cup qualifiers, the South African national team visited here and defeated Burkina Faso 2-1. At that time, Rustenburg did not even have its own football team. In the 2009 Confederations Cup, when Spain beat New Zealand 5-0 in Group A, Torres scored a hat-trick in 11 minutes, leaving this wonderful moment in Bamfokeng forever.

In this World Cup, the most important game of Group C is arranged at the Royal Bamford Stadium, where the happy enemies of England and the United States will meet. The game has not yet started, but the smoke of war has already begun. For this game, England was allocated only 5,040 tickets, which was far less than expected. This will undoubtedly prevent many English fans from getting tickets. However, FIFA does not plan to change the venue for this reason. Media Director Mangut also patted his chest and assured: "Most seeded teams play in larger stadiums, but smaller stadiums are also used to host seeded teams. Team’s rights.”

Hosting venue

Time group match

06.12 Group C England VS United States

06.15 Group F New Zealand VS Slovakia

06.19 Group D Ghana VS Australia

06.22 Group A Mexico VS Uruguay

06.24 Group E Denmark VS Japan

06.26 1/ 8th Finals C1VSD2

Ellis Park Stadium

City: Johannesburg

Completion: Rebuilt in 1982, upgraded in 2009 Completion

Status: Mild refurbishment

Capacity: 61,000

Until Soccer City Stadium is completed, Ellis Park remains the country's flagship stadium . It is in the heart of a sports park, neighboring Johannesburg Stadium (athletics), the Chartered Bank Arena (tennis), and an Olympic swimming pool. The central location is enough to prove the extraordinary status of the stadium. On the political level, the Nelson Mandela Charity Match, which has attracted much attention from world peace activists, was once held in the stadium. On the sports level, last year it hosted the Confederations Cup, with the semifinals between Brazil and South Africa and the final between the United States and Brazil held here. Normally, this is the first stop for many well-known teams such as Brazil, Manchester United, and Arsenal.

Ellis Park Stadium was built in 1928 by a man named JD. Ellis' alderman proposed its construction, and today's Ellis Park Stadium is the result. For more than 50 years, it has been mostly used as a rugby field and also for cricket matches.

In 1982, the stadium underwent its first upgrade, and the concept of hosting football matches was taken seriously. At this point, Ellis Park Stadium gave up cricket and became a dedicated sports ground for rugby and football. After the reconstruction, Ellis Park Stadium covers 13 acres and its capacity has been expanded to 60,000. After the reconstruction was completed, the South African giants Orlando Pirates moved their home stadium here. Founded in 1937, the Buccaneers are the oldest team in South Africa and the only team in the southern hemisphere to have won the African Champions League. In the 1995 African Champions League final, the Pirates defeated Abidjan Mimosa 1-0 in an away game and defeated their opponents with a total score of 3-2 to win the championship. After winning the championship, they held a grand carnival ceremony at Ellis Park Stadium. In addition, this year, Ellis Park Stadium also received a double blessing, hosting a Rugby World Cup.

Of course, what left a deep impression on the world here was the fan tragedy in 2001. On April 16, 2001, during the match between the two championship-winning teams, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, the organizers of the event ignored the capacity limit of the stadium and oversold 120,000 tickets, which was almost the size of the Ellis Stadium design. Double the capacity. After the game started, the news of the home team's goal was spread outside the stadium through the loudspeaker, and the home team fans crowded towards the various entrances like crazy. Under the push of the fans, the iron gate of the stadium was pushed down. The fans at the front were caught off guard and fell on the iron gate, and were trampled under the feet of the fans who poured in from behind. In total, 47 people were killed and more than 160 injured in this accident. This day also became the darkest day in the history of South African football.

Apart from this black incident, Ellis Park Stadium has witnessed many important moments in South African sports history. In 2005, Ellis Park became the first black-owned stadium in South Africa's history. The Golden Lions Rugby Football Union acquired 51% of the ownership of the stadium and officially became the new owner of the stadium.

Since then, including Orlando Pirates Football Club and Ellis Park Stadium (Holdings) Co., Ltd. have invested in the shares, and *** has also been involved in the management of the stadium. In 2008, the naming rights of Ellis Park Stadium were sold to the famous beverage company Coca-Cola for ZAR 450 million (USD 58 million), and the official name of the stadium was changed to Coca-Cola Park Stadium.

Hosting Venue

Time Group Match

06.12 Group B Argentina VS Nigeria

06.15 Group G Brazil VS South Korea

06.18 Group C Slovenia VS United States

06.21 Group H Spain VS Honduras

06.24 Group F Slovakia VS Italy

06.28 1/8 final G1VSH2

07.03 Quarter-final W55VSW56

Mbombela Stadium

City: Nelspruit

< p>Completion: October 2009

Status: Newly built

Capacity: 46,000 people

"Mbombela" is the Shiwadi language (South Africa 11 one of the official languages), meaning "many people gathered in a small space", this description is very appropriate. The Mbombela Stadium has a capacity of only 46,000 people, making it the second smallest stadium among the ten World Cup stadiums in South Africa. Here There are only 4 games hosted, and they are all insignificant games. Among the many strong teams, only the Italian team will play a game here.

It seems that the organizing committee is using Mbombela Stadium to make up the numbers. In fact, this is also a helpless move by the organizers. Nesplit, where Mbombela Stadium is located, is a young city founded in 1905. It is located in Mpumalanga Province in northeastern South Africa and is the capital of the province. Compared with Limpopo Province where football culture is developed , the development of sports in Mpumalanga is relatively backward. It is for this reason that the South African Football Association reached an agreement after discussions with the government and decided to build a stadium in Nelspruit, the political and cultural center of Mpumalanga. In October 2009, Mbombela Stadium was officially completed and became the only large stadium in the huge province of Mpumalanga. The stadium was built in an open area in the west of Nesplit, about 6 kilometers from the city center. The World Cup will undoubtedly leave a rich sports and cultural heritage to the city. According to the city's original intention, after hosting the World Cup, the stadium will be used for rugby and cricket matches.

Because it is close to the Kruger National Park, the largest wildlife park in South Africa, a large number of tourists choose Nesplit as a transit stop. It can be said that this city is an out-and-out stop. Attract tourists to stay here for a long time. Wild colors are also reflected in this city. The 18 tank roof trusses used to support the roof of Mbombela Stadium are shaped like a giraffe, while the seats in the stadium are painted in zebra stripes. . In addition, Mbombela Stadium has many thoughtful designs. The bowl-shaped structure can ensure that every spectator has a good viewing effect, and the translucent roof area reaches 22,500 square meters, covering 95% of the seats. This can not only ensure sunlight exposure, but also ensure ventilation and avoid noise disturbing residents.

During the construction process of Mbombela Stadium, an "earth-shattering" event happened. On January 4 last year, 44-year-old Jimmy Molara, an official of the 2010 World Cup Organizing Committee and former chairman of the South African Football Association, was shot and killed. This also triggered a major discussion in the football community about the security issues of the World Cup in South Africa. According to local media reports, Molara was shot dead at her home in Nesplit. Witnesses revealed that two gunmen had been lurking in an unmarked car outside Molara's home, waiting for Molara to appear. , and then killed him with several consecutive grabs. Molalla's son was also shot by a masked gunman during the murder. Fortunately, his life was not in danger. According to police investigations, one year before Molara was killed, he had questioned the integrity of the project. He believed that there were very big doubts about the bidding process of the project, which triggered an investigation.

Hosting Venue

Time Group Match

06.16 Group H Honduras VS Chile

06.20 Group F Italy VS New Zealand

06.23 Group D Australia VS Serbia

06.25 Group G North Korea VS Cote d'Ivoire

Soccer City Stadium (Soccer City)

City: Johannesburg (Johannesburg)

Completion: First built in 1987, upgraded and completed in 2009

Status: Extensive renovation

Capacity: 94,700 people

Football City Stadium Also known as FNB Stadium (National Bank Stadium), it is the main stadium of the 2010 South Africa World Cup. It is located in the Soweto District in the southwest of Johannesburg, adjacent to the South African Football Association and the FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee.

The Football City Stadium was completed in 1987. Although it has only a history of more than 20 years, it carries countless emotions of the South African people. After renovation, the capacity of the Football City Stadium will be increased to 94,700. The opening game and final of the World Cup in South Africa will be held in the largest stadium on the African continent. In addition, it will also host four other group matches, a 1/8 finals, and a quarter-finals.

At first glance, the Soccer City Stadium looks like the "Bird's Nest" from a distance. When you get closer, you can feel the shadow of Bayern's home stadium, the Allianz Stadium, but the outer color is different. But this is not the case. The exterior wall of the football field is made up of small pieces of ocher red and yellow. This color combination is to echo the surrounding Jinshan and combine the historical fragments of the city and the country. Careful splicing.

The designer once said that the design of the stadium was inspired by the cooking utensils used by African housewives to cook delicious food. The large areas of red ocher at the bottom of the stadium were used to simulate rising flames. At night, the lights will make this stadium show another kind of beauty. Together with the color expansion of the upward transpiration on the surface and the light beams shooting out from a small skylight, this football city will become a more beautiful place that can be seen from a distance. The effect of "huge flames". It can be said that the designer has brought African elements to the extreme.

In order to better prepare for the World Cup, the Football City Stadium began a major upgrade in September 2006, expanding its capacity from 80,000 to 94,700. The upgrades were mainly centered around the upper floors, which, in addition to adding 99 executive suites, added new locker room facilities, added a wraparound roof, and installed new lighting equipment, which also gave the stadium a more modern feel. , becoming a veritable "flagship" stadium on the African continent.

In addition to the five new stadiums, the Football City Stadium is one of the youngest stadiums in South Africa, only Durban's Royal Bamfokeng is younger (completed in 1999). In order to build this super stadium in Africa, the South African government spent 3.3 billion rand, approximately 440 million U.S. dollars. Such a large sum is even comparable to the Allianz Stadium, which cost 340 million euros (approximately 470 million euros at the current exchange rate). billion US dollars).

Although it is 7 years younger than its elder brother Ellis Park Stadium, the Soccer City Stadium established its status as the king when it opened. In 1990, Mandela gave his first public speech here after being released from prison. In 1993, Chris Hani, the former chief of staff of the ANC military organization "Spear of the Nation", was assassinated, and thousands of people mourned the former general secretary of the South African Communist Party here. In addition to political activities, it has also hosted many large-scale sporting events, such as the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In 1996, relying on two goals from former Chongqing foreign aid Mark, the South African team defeated Tunisia 2-0 and was crowned the African Cup of Nations here. This was also the last major honor won by South African football.

On January 22, 2010, the Soccer City Stadium welcomed its first guests. Maradona, who returned from the ban, visited here. On June 17, Argentina will play South Korea here. A group match in Group B. The stadium is full of orange seats. This is because the Dutch design company has implanted its own national preferences into it. On June 14, in the Group E match between the Netherlands and Denmark, the Dutch team will definitely have a return. The feeling of being at home.

Another bold design of the stadium is the ten black lines interspersed in the sea of ??orange seats. Nine of these ten rows of black seats point to the other nine host cities. The most unique one Pointing to Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the venue for the 2006 World Cup final, this "line" also represents the road to the final. The organizing committee stated that after the World Cup, every goal scored in this venue will be engraved on the concrete panel of the podium, so that the names of all scorers can continue to be circulated.

Hosting Venue

Time Group Match

06.11 Group A/Opening Ceremony South Africa VS Mexico

06.14 Group E Netherlands VS Denmark< /p>

06.17 Group B Argentina VS South Africa

06.20 Group G Brazil VS Cote d’Ivoire

06.23 Group D Ghana VS Germany

06.27 1/8 finals B1VSA2

07.02 Quarter-final W49VSW50

07.11 Final

Free State Stadium

City: Bronn Bloemfontein

Completion: First built in 1952, upgraded and completed at the end of 2008

Status: Moderately renovated

Capacity: 48,000 people

< p>Free State Stadium is a comprehensive stadium located in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Bloemfontein, which means "Spring of Flowers" in Dutch, is the capital of the Free State Province and the judicial capital of South Africa. It is also known as the "City of Roses" and the Rose Festival is held here every year.

Due to the sponsorship of telecommunications giant Vodacom, the Free State Stadium is also called Vodacom Park Stadium. It has a history of more than 60 years and is one of the oldest stadiums in South Africa. It once hosted the 1996 African Football Association Cup. The quarter-finals of the Nations Cup, as well as the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In preparation for the 2010 World Cup, it was upgraded in 2007. At the end of 2008, the Free State Stadium was put back into use. After the renovation, a new layer was added to the grandstand on the west side of the stadium, a revolving door was added, an electronic scoreboard was added, floodlights, closed-circuit television and media equipment were upgraded, and the sound system was also modified to meet standards. The stadium capacity has also been expanded from 36,538 to 48,000.

Bloemfontein is a densely populated city. The locals are famous for their love of sports. Whether they are locals can be identified by their main sports hobbies. Many universities and colleges here have graduated from the university. International level athletes. Relying on the financial support of Vodacom, the sports construction of Bloemfontein City can be described as a duck in water. In this city of only 500,000 people, there are first-class stadiums, football teams and rugby teams.

Vodacom is a joint venture between Telkom, South Africa's largest fixed-line operator, and Vodafone. It is also South Africa's first mobile phone network. It provides GSM network services to more than 35 million users in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Vodacom's signal even covers Mount Kilimanjaro, which was once the highest point in the world covered by GSM networks. Vodacom spares no effort in sponsoring sports. In football, in addition to the local Celtics in Bloemfontein, his other two major clients are Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, who have won the most championships in the South African League. . Among them, Bronfontein Celtic are almost a replica of the Scottish Premier League Celtics, and their uniforms are also green and white. In addition, Vodacom pays for the sponsorship fees of the South African Football Association and its national teams at all levels.

In rugby matches, another popular sport among South Africans, Vodacom has also signed sponsorship contracts with the three most famous teams. These three teams are Pretoria The Blue Bulls, Cape Town's Vodacom Western Province, and the Free State Cheetahs rugby team, the latter of which is based in Bloemfontein. In addition, they also sponsor the rugby league named after "Vodacom". The telecommunications giant's generosity does not stop there. They have also acquired the naming rights of two World Cup stadiums, Free State Stadium and Loftus Stadium. During the World Cup, through Andrew's ION-M solution, Vodacom will also provide Wireless coverage is provided at five World Cup venues.

Hosting Venue

Time Group Match

06.14 Group E Japan VS Cameroon

06.17 Group B Greece VS Nigeria

06.20 Group F Slovakia VS Paraguay

06.22 Group A France VS South Africa

06.25 Group H Switzerland VS Honduras

06.27 1/8 Finals D1VSC2