Cape Town stadium finished

Work has finished on the new Cape Town Stadium, which will host eight of the football World Cup from 11 June-11 July this year, including a semi-final match. Construction of the precinct around the stadium and the access roads should be completed by March.

The 68,000 seat stadium, which replaces an existing stadium at Green Point near the city centre, has taken 32 months to complete at a cost of R4.5 billion. Construction has been dogged by protests from environmentalists and labour strikes.

After the tournament the stadium will be used for rugby and football matches, concerts and religious gatherings and will be operated by French company Stade de France and the South African sports marketing company Sail.

At least three international teams will be making their base camps in Western Cape. So far France, Denmark and Japan have confirmed their presence according to Cape Town city council, while Paraguay has expressed interest but has not confirmed. The teams will stay at top-end accommodation in some of the region