Free State Stadium
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Full name | Toyota Stadium |
|---|---|
Former names | Vodacom Park |
| Location | Kings Way, Bloemfontein, South Africa |
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| Operator | Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality |
| Capacity | 42,000[1] |
Executive suites | 100[2] |
| Surface | Ryegrass[3] |
| Scoreboard | yes |
Field size | 100 by 70 metres (330 ft × 230 ft) |
| Public transit | Bloemfontein railway station |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1955[4] |
| Renovated | 1995 |
| Expanded | 2009 |
| Tenants | |
|
Free State Cheetahs Cheetahs (1997–present) | |
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The Free State Stadium (Template:Langx), currently known as the Toyota Stadium for sponsorship reasons and formerly known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein in the Free State of South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and also sometimes for association football. It was originally built for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and was one of the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The primary rugby union tenants of the facility are the Free State Cheetahs, which participate in South Africa's domestic competition, the Currie Cup. Previously, the Cheetahs represented the Free State and Northern Cape provinces in the international Pro14 competition.
Until their sale before the start of the 2021–22 South African Premiership, the primary association football tenant was Bloemfontein Celtic, who played in South Africa's domestic South African Premiership.
Upgrade
In 2025, the stadium was downgraded to Class C status, meaning it was no longer eligible to host international rugby matches. An upgrade was completed in February 2026, restoring it to Class B, and once again eligible to host international matches.[5]
Notable matches
1995 Rugby World Cup
The stadium was one of the host venues for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It hosted first-round matches in Pool C during the tournament.
| Date | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 1995 | File:Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan | 10–57 | File:Flag of Wales (1959–present).svg Wales | Group C | 12,000 |
| 31 May 1995 | File:IRFU flag.svg Ireland | 50–28 | File:Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan | 15,000 | |
| 4 June 19951 | File:Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan | 17–145 | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand | 17,000 |
1996 African Cup of Nations
The Free State Stadium was one of venues used for the 1996 African Cup of Nations. It hosted six group matches and a quarter-final match:
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 January 1996 | File:Flag of Zambia (1964–1996).svg Zambia | 0–0 | File:Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria | Group B | 9,000 | |
| 15 January 1996 | File:Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone | 2–1 | File:Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso | 1,500 | ||
| 18 January 1996 | File:Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria | 2–0 | File:Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone | 1,500 | ||
| 20 January 1996 | File:Flag of Zambia (1964–1996).svg Zambia | 5–1 | File:Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso | 2,000 | ||
| 24 January 1996 | 4–0 | File:Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone | 200 | |||
| 25 January 1996 | File:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 2–0 | File:Flag of Mozambique.svg Mozambique | Group D | 3,500 | |
| 27 January 1996 | File:Flag of Zambia (1964–1996).svg Zambia | 3–1 | File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt | Quarter-finals | 8,500 |
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The Free State Stadium was one of the host venues for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 2009 | 16:00 | File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | 4–3 | File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt | Group B | 27,851 |
| 17 June 2009 | 16:00 | File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | 1–0 | File:Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq | Group A | 30,512 |
| 20 June 2009 | 20:30 | 2–0 | File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa | 38,212 | ||
| 24 June 2009 | 0–2 | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Semi-finals | 35,369 |
2010 FIFA World Cup
Ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a second tier was added to the main grandstand on the western side of the ground, increasing the net capacity from 36,538[6] to 40,911. Additionally, new turnstiles were created, the floodlights upgraded, electronic scoreboards installed, the sound system revamped to the required standards, and CCTV and media facilities improved.
Bloemfontein received R221 million to upgrade the stadium. Though cost estimates were at R245 million, the city decided to stand in for the R24m shortfall.[7] Tenders were advertised in February and March 2007. Upgrade work started in July 2007.[8]
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 June 2010 | 16.00 | File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | 1–0 | File:Flag of Cameroon.svg Cameroon | Group E | 30,620 |
| 17 June 2010 | 16.00 | File:Flag of Greece.svg Greece | 2–1 | File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria | Group B | 31,593 |
| 20 June 2010 | 13.30 | File:Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia | 0–2 | File:Flag of Paraguay (1990–2013).svg Paraguay | Group F | 26,643 |
| 22 June 2010 | 16.00 | File:Flag of France (lighter variant).svg France | 1–2 | File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa | Group A | 39,415 |
| 25 June 2010 | 20.30 | File:Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | 0–0 | File:Flag of Honduras (1949–2022, 2026–present).svg Honduras | Group H | 28,042 |
| 27 June 2010 | 16.00 | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 4–1 | File:Flag of England.svg England | Round of 16 | 40,510 |
See also
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Stadium | Toyota Cheetahs".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Stadium | Toyota Cheetahs".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Stadium | Toyota Cheetahs".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Stadium | Toyota Cheetahs".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.OFM. "Toyota Stadium gets green light for Test rugby". OFM. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."fussballtemple". Fussballtempel.net. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sunday Times". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Official upgrade progress report as at May 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
External links
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- Bloemfontein Script error: No such module "webarchive".: Official municipality website
- Photos of Stadiums in South Africa at cafe.daum.net/stade
- 360 View
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