South of central Johannesburg, in the Nasrec precinct near Soweto, FNB Stadium is one of South Africa’s defining football venues. It is also known as Soccer City and, for its bowl-like profile, the Calabash or African Pot. The current stadium manager lists 87,436 seats, making it the largest venue in the country. Capacity figures published over the years vary because redevelopment and event configurations change how seats are counted; for a current visit, the manager’s figure is the clearest reference rather than an older tournament-era number.
The site’s football history predates its global profile. South African government records say a stadium was built here in 1987. It was extensively reconstructed before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, when Soccer City became the tournament name because FIFA competition rules did not permit the commercial sponsor name. After the event, the venue returned to FNB Stadium. The naming history is not a footnote: the same place has carried the commercial identity of its long-term sponsor and the neutral title used during a global tournament.