Free State Stadium
Stadium in South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Free State Stadium (Afrikaans: Vrystaatstadion), 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.
| |
 Interactive map of Toyota Stadium | |
| Full name | Toyota Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Vodacom Park |
| Location | Kings Way, Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 29°7′2″S 26°12′32″E |
| 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 | |
| Cheetahs Free State Cheetahs | |
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.
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 |  Zambia | 0–0 |  Algeria | Group B | 9,000 | |
| 15 January 1996 |  Sierra Leone | 2–1 |  Burkina Faso | 1,500 | ||
| 18 January 1996 | Algeria | 2–0 | Sierra Leone | 1,500 | ||
| 20 January 1996 | Zambia | 5–1 | Burkina Faso | 2,000 | ||
| 24 January 1996 | 4–0 | Sierra Leone | 200 | |||
| 25 January 1996 |  Ghana | 2–0 |  Mozambique | Group D | 3,500 | |
| 27 January 1996 | Zambia | 3–1 |  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 |  Brazil | 4–3 | Egypt | Group B | 27,851 |
| 17 June 2009 | 16:00 |  Spain | 1–0 |  Iraq | Group A | 30,512 |
| 20 June 2009 | 20:30 | 2–0 |  South Africa | 38,212 | ||
| 24 June 2009 | 0–2 |  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 |  Japan | 1–0 |  Cameroon | Group E | 30,620 |
| 17 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Greece | 2–1 |  Nigeria | Group B | 31,593 |
| 20 June 2010 | 13.30 |  Slovakia | 0–2 |  Paraguay | Group F | 26,643 |
| 22 June 2010 | 16.00 |  France | 1–2 | South Africa | Group A | 39,415 |
| 25 June 2010 | 20.30 |  Switzerland | 0–0 |  Honduras | Group H | 28,042 |
| 27 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Germany | 4–1 |  England | Round of 16 | 40,510 |
