FIFA World Cup Stadiums – Polokwane and Loftus Versfeld Stadiums

Polokwane

Polokwane will be building a new stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup that will be situated in the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex. The stadium will be approximately 5km from the city centre, with a gross seating capacity of 45,000.It will be a welcome addition to the Limpopo Province. They have the largest number of registered football players in South Africa.

The sporting complex was named after the late Peter Mokaba, who was a political activist during apartheid. He was born and bred in Polokwane and was renowned for his fighting spirit and for being an inspiring leader.

Loftus Versfeld Stadiums

Loftus Versfeld in the heart of Tshwane/Pretoria, currently has a seating capacity of 45,000. Very little upgrade is needed for the stadium to be ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is also a venue for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.The site on which Loftus Versfeld is located was first used for sport in 1903. It was named after Mr Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, who is attributed with establishing organised sport in Pretoria. It has been used for numerous sports events including the 1995 Rugby World Cup and 1996 CAF Africa Cup of Nations. It is now used by Mamelodi Sundowns as their home ground.

Often simply referred to as Loftus, it has served as a venue for many international matches. South Africa achieved their first victory over a European opposition at Loftus Versfeld, beating Sweden 1-0.