Bloemfontein, World Cup 2010, South Africa

The World Cup in South Africa 2010

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is, unfortunately, neither a tourist destination in it's own right, or particularly well placed for access to attractions elsewhere.

The air, road, and rail links are pretty good, however, and we suspect that many fans will stay here just for the games they are interested in before moving on to other parts of the country.

The World Cup In Bloemfontein

The Free State Stadium, home ground of Bloemfontein Celtics, will host games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

A second tier of seating has been added to the current stadium giving it a new capacity of 40, 000.

Bloemfontein will host 5 first-round matches and one second-round match.

Bloemfontein Match Schedule

Date	Stadium	Type	Team 1		Team 2
14 June, 16:00	Free State	Group E	Japan	vs	Cameroon
17 June, 16:00	Free State	Group B	Greece	vs	Nigeria
20 June, 13:30	Free State	Group F	Slovakia	vs	Paraguay
22 June, 16:00	Free State	Group A	France	vs	South Africa
25 June, 20:30	Free State	Group H	Switzerland	vs	Honduras
27 June, 16:00	Free State	Round of 16 (4)	Winner Group D	vs	2nd Group C

Visiting Bloemfontein During The World Cup

Whilst Bloemfontein has a good selection of hotels the number of fans visiting the city during the tournament will mean accommodation will be hard to come by and more expensive than many fans might expect.

It is very unlikely that most fans will be able to get their first choice of accommodation, although we will always do our best!

Between Games

Most of the sights and attractions of Bloemfontein are situated within walking distance around the town centre. For shopping and entertainment, head for the Loch Logan Waterfront. For a pleasant afternoon's stroll, head to King's Park with it's 4,000 rose bushes and Zoological Gardens. The park was opened in 1925 by the Prince of Wales.

Slightly further afield is the Free State Botanical garden, on the north-west edge of Bloemfontein, which covers about 70 hectares and hosts over 400 species of plants.

Any Chance Of A Safari?

Bloemfontein's fairly isolated position in the centre of the country means that the nearest safari lodges are still around 5h 30 min away by road.

This is likely to mean that many wishing to go on safari will choose to fly to lodges near Nelspruit (for Kruger) or Port Elizabeth (for the Eastern Cape) rather than drive to Pilanesburg or Madikwe, which are the only areas that could be reached by car without requiring an overnight stop.