DHL Stadium: Cape Town Soccer Ground, Capacity and Visitor Guide

DHL Stadium is Cape Town’s major soccer and rugby venue in Green Point, previously called Cape Town Stadium and known during planning as Green Point Stadium. The City of Cape Town’s 2023/24 annual report gives its capacity as 58,000 spectators, although older figures describe different stages of the ground’s development.

For a supporter, the useful details go beyond the number of seats. Start with the event and your ticketed entrance, then plan the journey home. The Mother City venue brings together local soccer, provincial rugby and the memory of Africa’s first World Cup in 2010, with a naming history that deserves a little untangling.

What Is the Capacity of DHL Stadium?

The DHL Stadium capacity was reported as 58,000 in the City’s 2023/24 annual report, but every capacity figure needs its year. The ground accommodated about 64,100 for the 2010 World Cup, before temporary upper tier seating was replaced with suites and clubrooms. That change produced the widely repeated figure of about 55,000. The City subsequently reported 62,000 in 2022/23 and 58,000 in 2023/24, so quoting a single undated number leaves part of the story out.

The documented seating changes explain the reduction after the World Cup, but they do not by themselves explain every later reporting difference. The two City reports should therefore retain their separate dates rather than be presented as evidence of another confirmed rebuild. For attendance planning, use the allocation announced for your event. A concert can also accommodate people on the playing area, which makes its crowd figure a different measure from seated soccer capacity.

Who Plays at DHL Stadium?

Ajax Cape Town contested the opening match against Santos on 23 January 2010. That match finished 0 to 0, with Ajax winning the penalty shootout 6 to 5. Those dated facts establish use without promising where either club will stage every future home match.

Read the dated fixture card for the competition, opponent and ground before buying a ticket. For Premiership soccer, the log provides league context; the fixture entry tells you where the contest will actually take place.

Which 2010 World Cup Matches Were Played Here?

Cape Town Stadium hosted eight matches at the 2010 World Cup, finishing with the Netherlands’ semi final victory over Uruguay. Algeria drew 0 to 0 with England on 18 June, an African result worth keeping prominent in the ground’s history. Portugal beat North Korea 7 to 0 on 21 June.

Cameroon faced the Netherlands on 24 June, with Samuel Eto’o scoring a penalty for Cameroon in a match that finished 2 to 1 to the Netherlands. Spain beat Portugal 1 to 0 in the last 16 on 29 June, before Germany defeated Argentina 4 to 0 in the quarter final on 3 July. The Netherlands then beat Uruguay 3 to 2 in the semi final on 6 July. Algeria’s draw and Eto’o’s goal give African supporters distinct moments to revisit from the venue’s 2010 programme.

How Do I Get to DHL Stadium?

DHL Stadium stands in Green Point, Cape Town. Your starting point matters: accommodation described as being in Cape Town can be well beyond the central area. Check the route to your ticketed entrance before deciding how much of the journey to walk.

Matchday transport arrangements must be checked against current official City of Cape Town event information. Read the notice for your specific match or concert before relying on a shuttle, parking area or road access route. Arrange the return journey alongside the outward trip, particularly when travelling with children or visiting from another country. For tickets, follow the organiser’s announced sales route and check the event date, seating area and entry conditions before completing your purchase.

What Do the Stadium’s Different Names Mean?

DHL Stadium, Cape Town Stadium and the planning name Green Point Stadium refer to the modern venue, but the original Green Point ground was separate. During planning, the new stadium used the Green Point name. A public naming process in October 2009 established Cape Town Stadium, the name familiar from the 2010 World Cup. DHL Stadium followed in June 2021 through a naming rights agreement, explaining why older match reports and newer event listings use different names.

The original Green Point Stadium dated from 1897 and was partly demolished in 2007. Its site became the Green Point Athletics Stadium, which opened in 2015 with 4,500 seats. That distinction matters when searching maps or reading historical results: the athletics ground is not the large World Cup venue under another sponsor’s name. Match the full venue name to the event address rather than treating every reference to Green Point as interchangeable.

When Was Cape Town Stadium Built?

Construction began on 26 March 2007, and the completed stadium was handed over to the City of Cape Town on 14 December 2009. The project cost about R4.4 billion. GMP Architects worked with Louis Karol Architects and Point Architects on the design, while Murray & Roberts and WBHO built the venue. The December 2009 handover and January 2010 opening soccer match describe different milestones, which explains why both years appear in accounts of its beginning.

What Happens Here Beyond Soccer?

Rugby has brought major occasions to the stadium, alongside concerts and an exhibition tennis match. The Springboks won the British & Irish Lions Test series here in 2021, when matches took place without spectators because of COVID restrictions. The venue has hosted South Africa Sevens since 2015 and staged the Rugby World Cup Sevens in September 2022. These events explain why a search for the ground can lead as readily to rugby coverage as to soccer fixtures.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s Match for Africa drew 51,954 spectators on 7 February 2020, reported as a tennis attendance record at the time. The U2 concert on 18 February 2011 drew 72,532, the largest concert crowd listed for the stadium. That is a concert figure, not a soccer attendance record. When comparing soccer stadiums, keep the event type beside the year so that different crowd configurations remain clear.

What Surface Was Laid on the Pitch in 2023?

The 125 m by 68 m pitch was relaid in 2023 with a hybrid surface comprising about 50% synthetic fibre and 50% natural grass. For spectators, that work belongs to the ground’s operating history rather than a prediction about how any particular match will play. Assess conditions for the dated matchday, taking account of the weather and how the surface has been prepared.

How Can Supporters Across Africa Follow Matches Here?

Supporters in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda should check the viewing information attached to the specific event. Soccer and rugby can have different broadcasters and streaming arrangements, so the stadium name alone does not identify a channel. Read kick off in WAT, EAT, SAST and GMT together, then confirm the listing for your country. Before travelling or settling down to watch, check the dated fixture card for the final venue and starting time.

For Algeria supporters revisiting 2010, the 0 to 0 draw with England on 18 June includes goalkeeper Raïs M’Bolhi’s appearance in Cape Town. Cameroon supporters can revisit Samuel Eto’o’s penalty against the Netherlands on 24 June. Those matches put both African national sides into the stadium’s history during the first World Cup held on African soil.