FIFA 2010 World Cup Stadium Guide

The 19th World Cup which will be taking place in South Africa and will be held between the 11th June – 11th July, The South African World Cup will consist of a final 32 National football teams out of 204 that have progressed through the qualifying stages, The final remaining 32 teams have been divided in to 8 different groups with 4 teams being in each group, The first stage of the World Cup that starts on the 11th June will consist of the teams playing each of the other teams that are in their group, The winners and runners up of the groups will progress to the first knock-out round of 16 teams, The winners will of the this stage will then progress to the quarter finals, semi finals with the Final game being played on 11th July 2010 in Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium which has a capacity of 94,900 supporters, The South African World Cup Will have 10 different venues in which a total of 44 Football Matches will be played during the World Cup tournament, This will include one extra game that will be played by the Semi final losers which will decide 3rd place, listed below are the stadiums in which the games will be played.

Capacity: 94,900

This is the biggest of the stadiums and will hold the opening game as well as the Final and is seen as the heart of football in South Africa, The original stadium was known as the FNB Stadium and had a capacity of 80,000. However Upgrades have extended the upper tier to increase the capacity to 94,900

Capacity: 70,000

This is a newly built stadium that has been specifically designed as a multi-purpose venue and an amphitheatre which has a cable car which ascends to a viewing platform at the top of the 350m arch that is 106m above the pitch. This world class arena boasts of spacious and comfortable seats that provide a clear line sight of the pitch.

Capacity: 69,070

The newly-built Green Point Stadium is one of the two semi-final venues for the FIFA World Cup, Traveling fans will be close to the ocean and the mountains of Cape Town will also provide a stunning backdrop for the matches. The location of the stadium is a short walk from the transportation hub of the city allowing easy access for supporters.

Capacity: 62,567

Located in the centre of Johannesburg Ellis Park was first built in 1928 as a rugby union stadium and was demolished and rebuilt in 1982 again for rugby use. Named after JD Ellis who was a Johannesburg city councilor who approved the use of the land for a stadium,The stadium was upgraded from 57,000 to 62,567 as well as better facilities before hosting the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup between Brazil and the United States. Ellis Park is home to Orlando Pirates FC which is one of the South Africa's most popular clubs, .

Capacity: 51,760

This one of the oldest stadiums in South Africa and has been used for major sporting events since 1903, In the early days the first concrete structure could only hold 2,000 spectators, Since 1948 it has undergone upgrades that has increased it's capacity to 51,760 and it is now used regularly for both rugby and football matches

Capacity: 48,000

The stadium is another newly-built stadium for for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, This stadium boasts of an eye-catching roof-structure and a spectacular views overlooking the North End Lake.

Capacity: 48,000

The Free State Stadium was upgraded from a capacity of 38,000 to 48,000 for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, The stadium has hosted major football and rugby union matches,  Bloemfontein's natives are renowned for their passion for sport.

Capacity: 46,000

This is another newly built stadium that is set for completion in 2010, This new stadium is built next to the old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane in the Limpopo Province. The newly-built Peter Mokaba stadium is situated 5km from the city centre,

Capacity: 43,500

The Mbombela Stadium is another newly-built stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Situated seven kilometers from the city centre of Nelspruit and 12 kilometers from the nearby Kruger-Mpumalanga Airport. The ground also enjoys a close proximity to various game parks, giving traveling fans the opportunity to see the wildlife during rest days.

Capacity: 42,000

This is another newly-built stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, In 1999 the people of Bafokeng won a legal battle which entitled them to 20% on the platinum which is mined on their land so with the new found wealth a 43,500 stadium was commissioned, The stadium is only a 25 minute drive to Sun City and 30 minutes to the Pilansberg. It is 12 kilometers from the Rustenburg city centre.

It has been estimated that over 400,000 guests from all over the world are expected to visit the  2010 World Cup in South Africa between 11 June and 11 July, For those who are lucky to be traveling to any of these stadiums the experience is sure to be amazing,