Fascinating Facts - 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Soccer City Facts
- Located in Johannesburg’s southwest and only a stone’s throw from one of the country’s football crazy townships, Soweto, Soccer City Stadium will host the opening ceremony, and opening and final matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
- The stadium will also host four first-round matches, one second-round match and one quarter-final.
- Soccer City, formally known as FNB Stadium, is undergoing major upgrades for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
- Soccer City is being rebuilt at a cost of R1,5-billion. The contract comprises partially demolishing and rebuilding, and completely revamping the stadium as well as providing all associated facilities.
- The original stadium had a capacity of 80 000 people; upgrades involve extending the upper tier around the stadium to increase the capacity to 94 700; adding 99 more suites to bring the present number to 184; constructing an encircling roof; adding new change room facilities; and installing new floodlighting.
- In addition, private boxes, VIP suites, eight television presentation studios, a soccer museum and a 300-seater restaurant will also be built. New public parking for 15 000 cars will be added and a VIP underground parking is being built for 4 055 cars.
- The design of the new stadium is inspired by the African calabash, and its aesthetic appeal will be heightened when the stadium is lit up at night to resemble a traditional African cooking pot.
- The calabash was selected as being the most recognizable object that would be associated with the continent. The “calabash” stadium sits on a “pit of fire”, a depression that demarcates the security and line of turnstiles separating the outer areas and the secure inner areas.