Venues
Four cities served as the venues for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
| Johannesburg | Pretoria | Bloemfontein | Rustenburg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis Park Stadium | Loftus Versfeld Stadium | Free State Stadium | Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
| Capacity: 62,567 | Capacity: 50,000 | Capacity: 48,000 | Capacity: 42,000 |
Originally, Port Elizabeth's Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was also chosen as a venue. However, on 8 July 2008, Port Elizabeth withdrew as a host city because its stadium was deemed unlikely to meet the 30 March 2009 deadline for completion. The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium was subsequently completed before the Confederations Cup and was opened on 7 June 2009. It acted as a venue for the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa on 16 June. All of these stadia hosted matches during the Lions tour, but a minimum of nine days was allowed for pitch recovery between a rugby match and a Confederations Cup match.
All four venues were also used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Read more about this topic: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup