DHL Stadium

There is nothing about this place that looks like a standard football ground. Matchdays here feel more like an outdoor event than a closed enclosure.

The ground was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has not been demolished. The surface is now a hybrid pitch, a combination of grass and synthetic material, which was completed in 2023. Before that, it was natural grass.

Current tenants include the Stormers and Cape Town City F.C. The stadium is also used for concerts, and the acoustics work differently at night than they do during a rugby match. The structure is solid concrete and steel, and the seats are arranged in a single tier around the field. The view from the top of the stand is not just of the pitch, but of the harbour and the ocean beyond.

It was originally called Green Point Stadium, then Cape Town Stadium, and since June 2021 it has been known as DHL Stadium. The capacity was reduced from the original 64,100 when the temporary seats were removed, leaving it at 55,000. The record crowd was 56,500 for the United Rugby Championship Final in May 2023, which suggests the initial figure was not entirely accurate.

Five World Cup matches were played here, including a semi-final. The location means the grass grows differently than in inland grounds, and the hybrid surface was the answer to that problem. The stadium is not a fortress; it is a pavilion. It holds every card it has, and it does not try to hide the fact that it is right on the water.