The venue for the World Cup final is a beautiful stadium, a testament to the world game. With a capacity of over 90,000, it will stage the games that start and end the tournament.
When South Africa kick off against Mexico on 11th June it will be the start of the first World Cup tournament to take place in Africa and the locals will be hoping for a result with a passionate home support behind them.
The neutral appearances of the Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Germany in the group stages mean that this is a venue that should stand out and not just because of its radical revamp. The largest stadium in Africa, it’s located close to the football frenzied township of Soweto and in 1996 was the venue for South Africa’s triumphant African Cup of Nations final against Tunisia. Often used as the national stadium, it’s located about five kilometres south east of the city centre.
City: Johannesburg
Construction: Upgraded
Complete: 2009
Official Capacity: 94,700
The Locale : The District
Located south of the city, close to the township of Soweto, Soccer City is perhaps a bit off the beaten track compared to most of the sights you might be seeing in Johannesburg.
However, Soweto itself offers a host of interesting sights for the more adventurous traveller. With a population of over three million it is the richest township in South Africa and hosts both millionaires and the impoverished, brimming with sites of significance in South Africa’s history.
Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu have both owned houses there and a tour through the area is the single most popular tourist attraction in Johannesburg, giving you a chance to understand it’s critical role in the South African anti-apartheid movement and resistance. A mixture of shacks and unremarkable dwellings, this area may not be the easiest on the eye, the casual visitor may prefer to swoop in for their match and out again quickly after.
Local Sights to See: If you’re going to the stadium you should check out…
The Mandela Family Museum seems like a must see. For one thing it’s one of the few real landmark attractions in Soweto beyond meet and greets with friendly locals. The small house that he moved into with his first wife and then shared with his second, Winnie, features an assortment of memorabilia from Mandela’s life, including gifts, awards, photos and more.
The real attraction is to just be there, to walk through the rooms the man lived in, to look out of the street and see what he saw. It’s the house that he moved back to (albeit briefly) on his release from prison, his house of memories.
At four rooms, it’s not big, but you’re likely to remember it long after.
Things to avoid
For all the horror stories about car-jackings, driving is probably still the easiest and best way to explore Johannesburg. There is however a more familiar danger in drink driving. More people get injured in traffic accidents than are victims of crime in this city and with anything up to 8% of drivers on the streets above the legal alcohol limit this is no surprise.
On unfamiliar streets, drive carefully, try to avoid driving at night, pay special attention to other drivers showing unpredictable behaviour and make sure you’ve got a seatbelt on.
Games to be played there:
June 11th: Group A – South Africa vs Mexico
June 14th: Group E – Holland vs Denmark
June 17th: Group B – Argentina vs Korea Republic
June 20th: Group G – Brazil vs Ivory Coast
June 23th: Group D – Ghana vs Germany
June 27th: Round of 16 – Winner of Group B vs Runner-up Group A
July 2th: Quarter-final
July 11th: World Cup final
