First National Bank Stadium

Проект

First National Bank Stadium or simply FNB Stadium, also known as Soccer City and The Calabash, is a stadium located in Nasrec, bordering the Soweto area of Johannesburg, South Africa. The venue is managed by Stadium Management South Africa (SMSA) and is a home ground of Kaizer Chiefs F.C. in the South African Premier Soccer League as well as key fixtures for the South African national football team (Bafana Bafana).

It is located next to the South African Football Association headquarters (SAFA House) where both the FIFA offices and the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup were housed. Designed as the main association football stadium for the World Cup, the FNB Stadium became the largest stadium in Africa with a capacity of 94,736. The stadium is also known by its nickname „The Calabash” due to its resemblance to the African pot or gourd.

FNB Stadium was the site of Nelson Mandela’s first speech in Johannesburg after his release from prison in 1990, and served as the venue for a memorial service to him on 10 December 2013. The World Cup closing ceremony (after the Netherlands and Spain) on the day of the final saw the final public appearance of Mandela.