Cape Town

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

During the planning stage, the stadium was known as the Green Point Stadium, the name of the older stadium on an adjacent site. That older stadium, originally constructed in 1897, was partly demolished in 2007 and rebuilt in 2013 as the Green Point Athletics Stadium. Construction of the new Cape Town Stadium began in March 2007 and was completed in 33 months at a cost of R4.4 billion (approximately US$600 million). The project architects were an association between GMP Architects of Germany and local firms including Louis Karol Architects and Point Architects. The stadium was officially handed over to the City of Cape Town on 14 December 2009, with Executive Mayor Alderman Dan Plato receiving the keys. The first game hosted was a Cape Town derby between Ajax Cape Town and Santos on 23 January 2010, with only 20,000 tickets made available and sold out by 15 January 2010.

In Their Own Story

The stadium hosted five first round matches, one second round, one quarter-final, and one semi-final during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with all FIFA media referring to it as 'Green Point Stadium'. After the World Cup, temporary rows of seating were replaced by events suites and clubrooms, reducing capacity to 55,000. A consortium of Sail Group and Stade de France was awarded the service contract but cancelled in December 2010, deeming the agreement non-viable, after which the City took over management. The Greenpoint Park was completed within a year of the World Cup ending. Ajax Cape Town used the stadium from the 2010–11 season. In March 2015, SARU announced the South Africa Sevens tournament would be staged there for four years starting December 2015. In June 2016, new Premiership club Cape Town City also began playing there. From 2021, the Stormers and WP have called it home. In 2023, after complaints about pitch quality, the pitch was relaid with hybrid turf (50% synthetic, 50% grass).

Reader's Guide

Cape Town Stadium is a multi-purpose venue that has hosted football, rugby union, and the South Africa Sevens rugby tournament since 2015, as well as the Rugby 7s World Cup in 2022. It is located on the Green Point Common, and the pedestrian route from the central city to the stadium is designated as the Fanwalk, highlighting local businesses and providing entertainment. The stadium features corporate hospitality suites, medical, training, and conferencing and banqueting facilities. With effect from June 2021, the City of Cape Town concluded a multi-year sponsorship agreement with DHL for an original period of four years (2021 to 2025), renaming it the DHL Stadium. Peter-John Veldhuizen, chairperson of the Board of the Cape Town Stadium (RF) Soc Ltd, said: 'DHL’s contribution as our naming rights partner has certainly made a significant impact on the bottom line of the business.' As a result, in 2022–2022 the revenue target was exceeded by 30% and grant funding from the City was reduced from R61m to R42m.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was built in 33 months at a cost of R4.4 billion (approximately US$600 million).
• During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, all FIFA media referred to the stadium as 'Green Point Stadium'.
• The first game hosted was a Cape Town derby between Ajax Cape Town and Santos on 23 January 2010.
• In 2023, the pitch was relaid with hybrid turf—50% synthetic and 50% grass—after complaints about pitch quality.
• The naming rights deal with DHL, effective from June 2021, helped exceed the revenue target by 30% in 2022–2022.