The Soccer City stadium near Soweto in Johannesburg is to undergo 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 will hold the final and opening matches, five first-round matches, one second-round match and one quarter-final.

As venue for the opening match and the 2010 Fifa World Cup final, Soccer City will be 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.

It 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.

For 2010, the upper tier will be extended around the stadium, an encircling roof will be constructed, a new changing room complex will be developed, and new floodlights will be installed. It can seat 94 700.

Work has already begun on the major upgrade of Soccer City, the home of South African football and the venue of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM Final.