World Cup Stadium Profile: Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
It’s recent history includes both triumph and tragedy but Ellis Park remains the most famous South African stadium and it’s a venue fit for champions in the first-round of World Cup 2010, says Ben Lyttleton. “The stadium was packed to its 62,000 capacity when it hosted the 2009 Confederations Cup final. Brazil came from two goals down to beat USA 3-2.” As the most well-known arena in South Africa, Ellis Park has seen its fair share of drama, and in recent years, it has brought glory and tragedy to the country. The glory came in 1995, when the stadium hosted the Rugby World Cup final in which South Africa sealed their return to the international sporting arena by beating New Zealand in the final. The tragedy was in 2001, when 42 fans were crushed to death during a match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. Since then, the stadium has been reconstructed and the new capacity is 62,000: it was packed out when it hosted the 2009 Confederations Cup final when Brazil came from two goals down to beat USA 3-2. Three former World Cup winners will be playing at Ellis Park in the group stages of the tournament: the first match there will be Argentina-Nigeria, with others to follow including Brazil-North Korea, Slovenia-USA, Spain-Honduras and Slovakia-Italy. There will also be one Round of 16 match and one quarter-final there - not bad going for for a stadium that was built in 1928 exclusively for rugby
