Free State Stadium facts for kids
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| Full name | Toyota Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Vodacom Park |
| Location | Kings Way, Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 29°7′2″S 26°12′32″E / 29.11722°S 26.20889°E |
| Public transit | Bloemfontein railway station |
| Operator | Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality |
| Executive suites | 100 |
| Capacity | 42,000 |
| Field size | 100 by 70 metres (330 ft × 230 ft) |
| Surface | Ryegrass |
| Scoreboard | yes |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1955 |
| Renovated | 1995 |
| Expanded | 2009 |
| Tenants | |
| Cheetahs Free State Cheetahs |
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The Toyota Stadium is a famous sports ground in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It's also known as the Free State Stadium. For a while, it was called Vodacom Park. This stadium is mostly used for exciting rugby union games. Sometimes, soccer matches are played here too. It was first built in 1955 and was later used for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Later, it was also a host for the big 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The main rugby teams that play here are the Free State Cheetahs. They compete in South Africa's local rugby tournament, the Currie Cup. The Cheetahs team also used to play international games here.
Until 2021, the main soccer team playing at the stadium was Bloemfontein Celtic. They played in South Africa's top soccer league.
Contents
Exciting Matches at Toyota Stadium
The Toyota Stadium has hosted many important sports events over the years. Let's look at some of the biggest games played here.
1995 Rugby World Cup
The stadium was one of the places where the 1995 Rugby World Cup games were held. It hosted some of the first-round matches for Pool C.
| Date | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 1995 |  Japan |
10–57 |  Wales |
Group C | 12,000 |
| 31 May 1995 |  Ireland |
50–28 | Japan |
15,000 | |
| 4 June 19951 | Japan |
17–145 |  New Zealand |
17,000 |
1996 African Cup of Nations
The Free State Stadium was also a venue for the 1996 African Cup of Nations. It hosted six group matches and one quarter-final game.
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 January 1996 |  Zambia |
0–0 |  Algeria |
Group B | 9,000 | |
| 15 January 1996 |  Sierra Leone |
2–1 |  Burkina Faso |
1,500 | ||
| 18 January 1996 | Algeria |
2–0 | Sierra Leone |
1,500 | ||
| 20 January 1996 | Zambia |
5–1 | Burkina Faso |
2,000 | ||
| 24 January 1996 | 4–0 | Sierra Leone |
200 | |||
| 25 January 1996 |  Ghana |
2–0 |  Mozambique |
Group D | 3,500 | |
| 27 January 1996 | Zambia |
3–1 |  Egypt |
Quarter-finals | 8,500 |
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The Free State Stadium was one of the host venues for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. This tournament is like a warm-up for the World Cup, bringing together champions from different continents.
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 2009 | 16:00 |  Brazil |
4–3 | Egypt |
Group B | 27,851 |
| 17 June 2009 | 16:00 |  Spain |
1–0 |  Iraq |
Group A | 30,512 |
| 20 June 2009 | 20:30 | 2–0 |  South Africa |
38,212 | ||
| 24 June 2009 | 0–2 |  United States |
Semi-finals | 35,369 |
2010 FIFA World Cup
The stadium got a big makeover before the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A new section was added to the main stand, making room for more fans. The stadium's capacity grew from about 36,538 to 40,911 seats. Other improvements included new entry gates, brighter floodlights, modern electronic scoreboards, and a better sound system. The security cameras and media areas were also updated.
Bloemfontein spent a lot of money to upgrade the stadium, making it ready for the world's biggest soccer event. The upgrade work started in July 2007.
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Japan |
1–0 |  Cameroon |
Group E | 30,620 |
| 17 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Greece |
2–1 |  Nigeria |
Group B | 31,593 |
| 20 June 2010 | 13.30 |  Slovakia |
0–2 |  Paraguay |
Group F | 26,643 |
| 22 June 2010 | 16.00 |  France |
1–2 | South Africa |
Group A | 39,415 |
| 25 June 2010 | 20.30 |  Switzerland |
0–0 |  Honduras |
Group H | 28,042 |
| 27 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Germany |
4–1 |  England |
Round of 16 | 40,510 |
See also
In Spanish: Estadio Free State para niños
- List of stadiums in South Africa
- List of African stadiums by capacity
