Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Port Elizabeth) – FIFA World Cup Stadium
The city does not currently have a dedicated football stadium. All international matches were played at the Eastern Province rugby team’s ground, including the 2005 Nelson Mandela Challenge between South Africa and Senegal at the rugby union stadium. Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a 50,000 seat stadium under construction at Nelson Mandela Bay which is going to be used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup affords the host city an opportunity to build a dedicated football stadium -and capitalise on the football mania of its citizens. The stadium will be built on the North End Lake, which will make an idyllic setting for match days. The features will include a three-tier design with two rings of skyboxes.
The five-tier, 1.1 billion Rand (approximately $150m USD) Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be built overlooking the North End Lake, at the heart of the city. It is one of three coastal stadiums being built in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Despite not having a team in the Premier Soccer League, the city is exceptionally passionate about football. Whenever football games are staged, it is always to a capacity crowd.This is the first time a world-class football stadium will be built in the Eastern Cape Province. The stadium will boast 150 VIP suites, 60 business suites, a sports clothing shop, gymnasium, 500 parking bays, plus lecture and function rooms, and was originally scheduled for completion in December 2008.
Inevitably, there has been a great deal of speculation about the status of stadium construction in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup, with the requirement that all the FIFA World Cup host stadiums must be completed by January 2010. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is the first of five new stadiums to start construction in the near future. The other new arenas to be built are in Cape Town, Durban, Polokwane and Nelspruit. Although delayed, the stadium remains on schedule and will be complete by February 2009.