Soccer in Soweto, Soccer City

The Orlando Towers

Soccer in Soweto, Soccer City

Soweto's soccer stadium was constructed in 1987, becoming the country's first world class stadium solely dedicated to soccer. Soccer City accommodates the Safa offices and hosts most of the country's major soccer occasions: prime internationals featuring Bafana Bafana, impassioned derby matches between the giants, Chiefs and Pirates, and most Cup finals.

The Soccer City stadium underwent a major upgrade for the 2010 tournament, with a new design inspired by traditional African pottery and a revamped capacity for 104 000 football fans. The stadium held the final and opening matches, five first-round matches, one second-round match and one quarter-final.

As the venue for the opening match and the 2010 Fifa World Cup final, Soccer City was the focal point of the tournament. The Stadium, a classic, two-tiered bowl set on a spacious site south-west of the Johannesburg city centre, will stand as the cherished symbol of South African football's boom in recent years.

For 2010, the upper tier was extended around the stadium, an encircling roof was constructed, a new changing room complex was developed, and new floodlights were installed.