Loftus Versfeld Stadium

The ground kept its sporting soul through a series of commercial relabels. It became Minolta Loftus in 1998, then Securicor Loftus in 2003, before the sponsorship passed to Vodacom and the original name returned in 2005.

Homeless Building Construction (HBC) led the work, replacing seats and installing new floodlights, sound systems and scoreboards. A new roof was added to the eastern pavilion, and media areas were created. The capacity was trimmed to meet FIFA’s all-seater rules, settling around 43,000 for the tournament before returning to 51,762.

The ground has seen heavier crowds for other events. A boxing match between Gerrie Coetzee and John Tate in 1979 drew 80,000, while Celine Dion’s concert in 2008 called 80,000 to the stands. Football crowds have also filled the bench. The 2010 group stage match between South Africa and Uruguay drew 42,658, and the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2019 took place here.