Mbombela Stadium (Mbombela/Nelspruit)

Mbombela Stadium is a football and rugby union venue, built for South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The design of the stadium reflects the nearby world famous Kruger National Park, featuring 18 roof supports that resemble giraffes and the seats in the pattern of zebra stripes.

The stadium opened in October 2009, being inaugurated on the 16th May 2010 with a friendly match between South Africa and Thailand in which the home team won 4-0.

Four group matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup were played in Mbombela, including the 1-1 draw between defending champions Italy and New Zealand. South Africa international football matches continue to be held there and eight matches at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations were played in the stadium, including a semi-final win for Burkina Faso over Ghana.

Mbombela Stadium is the home venue of the rugby union team, Pumas who play in the domestic Currie Cup competition and first started playing there in 2010 following the World Cup. The Springboks have also held matches there, the first being a 30-17 win over Scotland in 2013 followed by a narrow 31-30 win against Wales in 2014 and 30-23 win over Argentina in 2016.

Tenants: Pumas (Currie Cup)

Opened: 2009

Capacity: 40,929

Address: 1 Bafana Road, Mataffin, Nelspruit, 1200, South Africa

Tickets at Mbombela Stadium

Pumas Tickets

Tickets for Pumas Currie Cup matches are available through Computicket. Tickets in 2019 were R50 for adults and R10 for children.

South Africa international football tickets

Ticket sales for South Africa international matches are announced on the South Africa Football Association website. Tickets for matches in 2019 were sold for R40 and were available at Computicket, as well as Shoprite and Checkers stores countrywide.

South Africa international rugby union tickets

Springbok ticket sales are handled by the host province, for further information on the latest Springbok ticket sales consult the official website.

Mbombela Stadium Tour

Tours take place on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s from 14:00 to 16:00 but don’t take place on the day of an event. Further information is available on the official Mbombela Stadium website.

Location & Travel to Mbombela Stadium

The Mbombela Stadium is located six kilometres west of the city of Mbombela (formerly known as Nelspruit) in the Mpumalanga province and just 40 kilometres from the world famous Kruger National Park.

Airport – Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport is located approximately 25 kilometres north east of Nelspruit, offering flights to Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg as well as internationally to Livingstone in Zambia and Vilankulos in Mozambique. Nelspruit Airport is the older airport, 6 kilometres from the city but doesn’t generally offer commercial flights.

Thinking of flying to Nelspruit? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.

Parking – There is parking at the stadium for 4,500 cars. Alternatively there is a park and ride service available for football and large rugby matches, further information is available on the official Mbombela Stadium website.

Train – The Nelspruit railway station has regular trains west to Johannesburg via Middelburg, Witbank and Pretoria, and east to Komatipoort on the border with Mozambique.