The Cape Town Stadium, one of several venues built specially for the World Cup, has not had an easy birth. From the off, the project was mired in controversy, with protests that it was located in a predominantly white part of the city, and work was delayed several times by strikes over low wages paid to builders. Nevertheless, it was completed well ahead of schedule. The stadium itself is touted by the hosts as one the most modern in the world, with the centrepiece a retractable glass roof that allows more natural light onto the pitch, and 360 inner spotlights. The façade is made of stretched fibre-glass mesh, and the entire venue adheres to strict green conditions regarding reusability of resources and light pollution. It will be surrounded by a 60-hectare urban park. Cape Town Stadium will host five first-round matches, one second-round game, one quarter-final and one semi-final.

Capacity 68,000