Mbombela Stadium facts for kids
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Africa's Wildest Stadium
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The aerial view of Mbombela Stadium
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| Full name | Mbombela Stadium |
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| Location | 1 Bafana Road, Nelspruit |
| Coordinates | 25°27′40″S 30°55′44″E / 25.461°S 30.929°E |
| Owner | Mbombela Local Municipality |
| Operator | Platinum Sport |
| Capacity | 43,500 |
| Surface | Rye grass & Desso GrassMaster |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 2007 |
| Built | 2007–2009 |
| Opened | 15 October 2009 |
| Construction cost | Rand 1.05 billion (US$ 199 million) |
| Architect | R&L Architects Mike Bell |
| Tenants | |
| Pumas (Currie Cup) (2010–present) and TS Galaxy (South African Premiership) (2020–present) | |
The Mbombela Stadium is a super cool sports stadium in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, South Africa. It's a place where exciting soccer and rugby matches happen!
This stadium was one of the 10 places that hosted games for the big 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was also one of five brand-new stadiums built just for that tournament. Today, it's the home field for the TS Galaxy soccer team and the Pumas rugby team.
With 43,500 seats, almost all of them covered by a roof, it's a huge and comfy place to watch sports. The stadium is about 6 kilometers west of Mbombela, which is the capital city of the Mpumalanga province. It's the biggest sports venue in the whole province! The stadium cost about R1.05 billion (that's about US$199 million) to build. It was ready way before the World Cup started in June 2010.
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Building the Stadium
Building the Mbombela Stadium started in February 2007 and finished in November 2009. A team of builders from South Africa and France worked together on it.
The stadium stands on 1,500 strong poles, like giant stilts. Each roof support, which looks like a giraffe, sits on 18 of these poles. Many of the concrete seating parts were made right there on the building site.
There were a few worker strikes during construction. After the last strike, new workers were brought in to finish the job.
In January 2009, a big storm caused a tall crane to fall over. It crashed through part of the roof that was still being built. Luckily, no one was at the site at the time, so no one got hurt. Building the stadium took a massive 5.5 million hours of work!
Even with all that work, the construction site was very safe. The worst injury was a broken ankle. They even set a record for 2.4 million hours worked without any injuries!
Stadium Design
The stadium's design is inspired by the nearby Kruger National Park. It's like bringing a bit of the wild into the city! The most famous part of the stadium is its 18 roof supports that look just like giraffes. Even the seats are designed with cool zebra stripes! If you visit the stadium, it's easy to also take a trip to the game reserve.
Seating for Fans
The stadium was designed so that every seat is as close to the action as possible. This means you get a great view of the game without anyone's head blocking your sight. It's one of the most compact stadiums among all the 2010 World Cup venues. Most of the seats are covered by the roof, keeping fans dry and shaded.
There are 43,500 seats in total. For the FIFA World Cup, some seats were used for media, so about 40,929 fans could watch. The seats are split into three levels: 21,000 on the lower level, 3,500 in the middle, and 19,000 on the top level. You can reach the top seats using 8 wide ramps. The middle level has special VIP seats, a fancy lounge, a restaurant, and 25 private boxes. You can get to these by elevators.
The Playing Field
The field is big enough for both soccer (105x68 meters) and rugby (100x70 meters). It has bright floodlights, like those used in movies, to make sure games can be played at night. These lights are so powerful they meet FIFA's strict rules. The field uses a special type of grass called rye grass, which is mixed with artificial fibers. This makes the field super strong and level, even during tough rugby scrums.
Before the World Cup, some people worried about the field, but it performed perfectly during its first big test in May 2010. Rye grass was chosen for the World Cup, but it's not ideal for Mbombela's hot, humid summers. In January 2013, a lot of rain caused a grass fungus, which damaged the field before the 2013 African Cup of Nations. Some players, like Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor, even said the pitch was "sandy" and "a disgrace."
Now, during the hot summer months, a different type of grass called cynodon is grown. It's much tougher for the hot weather. In winter, when the cynodon grass rests, the rye grass grows well.
The Stadium Roof
The stadium's roof is very light, weighing 1,450 tons, and covers a huge area of 22,500 square meters. It covers 94% of all the seats! Its clever design kept costs down and means almost everyone is under cover. The roof is 35 meters above the field. Half of the roof is see-through, letting in lots of sunlight for the grass and making the seating area feel bright.
The roof looks like it's floating above the seats, with an 8-meter gap. This gap helps air flow through the stadium, keeping it cool in the hot climate. It also gives fans amazing views of the hills around the stadium. The steel towers that hold up the roof are designed to look like the long necks of giraffes.
Exciting Tournaments
Mbombela Stadium has hosted many thrilling matches, including games from two major international tournaments.
2010 FIFA World Cup Matches
The stadium was a key venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Fans from all over the world came to watch teams compete. Some of the matches played here included:
- Honduras vs. Chile (Chile won 1-0)
- Italy vs. New Zealand (a 1-1 draw)
- Australia vs. Serbia (Australia won 2-1)
- North Korea vs. Ivory Coast (Ivory Coast won 3-0)
2013 African Cup of Nations Matches
Mbombela Stadium also hosted several matches during the 2013 African Cup of Nations. This tournament brought more exciting soccer action to the stadium, with teams like Zambia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia playing here. Burkina Faso even played in a quarter-final and a semi-final match at the stadium!
First Game at the Stadium
The stadium officially opened on May 16, 2010, with an international friendly match. The South African national team, known as Bafana Bafana, played against the Thailand national team. South Africa won the game with a score of 4-0, which was a great way to kick off the stadium's history!
After the World Cup
After the 2010 World Cup, many people thought the stadium might not be used much. But that wasn't the case! Because it's the only big sports venue in the province, it has been used a lot for different events and games. A company called Platinum Sport Consulting has been managing the stadium since the World Cup.
Rugby at Mbombela Stadium
The Pumas rugby team uses Mbombela Stadium as their main home ground. They play all their big Currie Cup matches here.
The very first rugby match at the stadium was on August 27, 2010. The Pumas played against the Blue Bulls in a Currie Cup game and won 22-21!
The country's national rugby team, the Springboks, have also played many exciting matches here. Their first game at the stadium was against Scotland on June 15, 2013. They also played against Wales in 2014 and Argentina in 2016.
A highly anticipated match between the Springboks and the All Blacks (New Zealand's national team) was planned for 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they finally played on August 6, 2022, with South Africa winning 26-10. Most recently, on September 28, 2024, the Springboks played Argentina again to a sold-out crowd of 43,578 people, winning 48-7!
Soccer Matches
Besides the World Cup, the stadium has hosted other important soccer games. South Africa's national team beat Niger 2-0 here on September 4, 2010, in a qualifier for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
On November 14, 2010, the stadium hosted its first Premiership match, which is South Africa's top soccer league. Wits played against Mamelodi Sundowns in that game.
See also
In Spanish: Estadio Mbombela para niños
- FIFA
- List of stadiums in South Africa
- South Africa national football team
