JOHANNESBURG — About 76,000 people attended the first game at Soccer City stadium on Saturday, the venue that will host the opening game and final at the World Cup after being given a $300 million upgrade.
Johannesburg’s Bidvest Wits beat Amazulu of Durban 3-0 in the Nedbank Cup final on Soccer City’s lush green field, after kickoff was delayed for 30 minutes because of traffic gridlock outside.
Before kickoff, South Africa President Jacob Zuma cut a ribbon to officially open the stadium and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke and local organizing committee chief executive Danny Jordaan joined him on the field to shake hands with both teams.
A giant shirt was unveiled, made up of the colors of all 32 participating nations at the World Cup.
Officials did not make all 94,000 seats available for Soccer City’s first test. The showpiece stadium will see a capacity crowd for the World Cup opener between host South Africa and Mexico on June 11.
Many of the fans at the Nedbank final wore the yellow shirts of South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana, and blew their plastic vuvuzela trumpets throughout the game.
South Africa will play its first game at Soccer City on Thursday, when it faces Colombia in an exhibition.
More than 100,000 fans were in Soweto on Saturday as the township also hosted its first major rugby game, a Super 14 semifinal between South Africa’s Bulls and Canterbury of New Zealand at the nearby Orlando Stadium. The Bulls won 39-24.
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