- Address: Kings Way, Bloemfontein
- Country: South Africa
- Capacity: 46,000
- Opened: 1995
- Main use: Rugby union
- Tenants: Cheetahs (rugby union)
Extra stadium info – Toyota Stadium
The venue is also known as the Free State Stadium. It was named Vodafone Park before it became the Toyota Stadium. The stadium became one of the largest sports venues by capacity in the Republic of South Africa. It hosted matches for the Rugby World Cup, the African championship for national football teams, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup.
The Rugby World Cup
The stadium hosted its first matches for the Rugby World Cup, the first rugby union competition with 1 million followers on its main social media page, in 1995. On 27 May 1995, the national rugby union team of Japan faced Wales in the first-ever Rugby World Cup game at the Toyota Stadium. Wales won the match, which attracted a crowd of 12,000. Ireland won the second Rugby World Cup game at the venue after beating Japan in front of 15,000 spectators. The third Rugby World Cup match at the Toyota Stadium was won by New Zealand after defeating Japan in front of 17,000 people. South Africa won the 1995 Rugby World Cup after beating New Zealand.
The African championship for national football teams
In 1996, the Toyota Stadium hosted its first game for the tournament which is currently known as the Africa Cup of Nations. The continental championship match between Zambia and Algeria ended in a goalless draw. The national football teams of Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Mozambique and Sierra Leone also played at the Toyota Stadium during the tournament.
The FIFA Confederations Cup
The Toyota Stadium hosted four games for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The first one took place on 15 June 2009. The national football team of Brazil won the match after defeating Egypt 4-3. Spain won the second one after beating Iraq and the third once after defeating South Africa. The fourth one was a semi-final between Spain and the United States. The national football team of the United States won the semi-final, which attracted a crowd of 35,000.
The FIFA World Cup
In 2010, the Toyota Stadium hosted six football matches for the FIFA World Cup, one of the major sports tournaments in the world. The national football teams of Cameroon, the French Republic, the Hellenic Republic, Honduras, Japan, Nigeria, Paraguay, the Slovak Republic, South Africa and the Swiss Confederation played at the Toyota Stadium during the group stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The last 2010 FIFA World Cup game at the Toyota Stadium was a match between Germany and England. The Germans won the round-of-16 game after beating England 4-0 in front of 40,000 spectators.
