Outside views of our 10 world cup stadia...

I remember before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, checking the different venues to be used in that tournament. The views were from the outside, showing the full masterpiece of a stadium to be used. There was one picture per stadium and that picture showed off the full size, full magnificence of the stadium. I am going to attempt to do that here. One outside, far off/aerial shot for each of our 10 world cup stadia (Perhaps 2 if available). Here goes...

Soccer City

The flagship - Johannesburg. Courtesy: Mo Rush

Green Point Stadium

Majestic elegance of Cape Town. Courtesy: Joanne and City of Cape Town

Moses Mabhida Stadium

Exuberence of Durban. Courtesy: Grantl

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

PE - the new landmark. Courtesy: Energizerbuddy007

Ellis Park Stadium

The victorious history. Courtesy: Lefa

Mbombela Stadium



African Elegance. I have a close affinity to the Mbombela Stadium. It is a remarkable, truly African structure and a perfect venue for watching football. An awesome, awesome stadium and I personally rank it above a number of the larger builds as one of my ultimate favourites. Courtesy: Tadpolefarm

Peter Mokaba Stadium

Baobab brilliance - Polokwane. Another of the truly African builds. The baobab-like roof connection is another ingenious concept. Courtesy: Pule

Free State Stadium

World class. The new roofed tier has turned this into a world class venue. Courtesy: Mo Rush

Royal Bafokeng Stadium

The newly redeveloped Royal Bafokeng Stadium. Another absolute beaut. Courtesy: Pule.

Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Perfect footballing venue. All seats still to be replaced.

So there they are, all ten stages on which the greatest show on earth will be played. Marvel at the architectural variety. From the Jo'burg colossus of Soccer City to the exuberence of the arched Moses Mabhida to the truly African feel of Mbombela and Peter Mokaba to the pure elegance of Green Point. They will all be finished before the year is out. Four are already finished and ready for action.

Viewing screens going in.

The big news on site is that the new replay screens are being installed. Floodlights and other electronic equipment are also being put in place. Otherwise a similar scene from last weekend with a bit more cladding having been done and almost all PTFE membranes having been installed. There are now only 3 girders on which cladding has not yet started. 10 girders in all still need cladding completion. Around the stadium, roads are being dug up to be relayed and earthworks are being done for the landscaping of the precinct. The new pedestrian bridge is now almost complete, with paving progressing smoothly.