Eddie Mungai

Camp Nou. Wembley. Allianz Arena. Santiago Bernabeu. Maracanã. When globally renowned football analysts and commentators speak of great stadiums, they refer to stadiums that are in Europe or South America. However, stadiums in Africa are hardly mentioned. Here are some stadiums that I deem worthy of global recognition (Spoiler: there’s only one stadium featured from the 2010 World Cup).

Borg El Arab Stadium (Egypt)

Seating Capacity: 86,000

This football venue is home to Egyptian club teams Al Ahly SC, Smouha SC, and Al Ittinad Alexandria Club. It is also the venue where the national team plays their matches. It reached its record attendance of 86,000 in October 2017 in Egypt’s final World Cup qualifier in a last minute 2-1 victory over Congo, a win which punched their ticket to the 2018 World Cup.

FNB Stadium (South Africa)

Seating Capacity: 94,796

Soccer City or The Calabash are also names given to this glorious stadium. It serves as the home for legendary Johannesburg club Kaizer Chiefs and one of the stadiums that hosted several World Cup games in 2010. The final was played their as well but the capacity for all World Cup games was limited to 85,000. The record attendance was 94,807 reached in 2015 when Kaizer Chiefs and bitter rivals Orlando Pirates played in a Cup game. The match certainly did exceed the seating capacity for the game but they stadium officials probably allowed a couple of people to stand and watch. The Soweto Derby is a game that cannot be missed.

Stade du 5 Juillet 1962 (Algeria)

Seating Capacity: 64,000

A stadium named in honor of when Algeria gained independence from France, this venue is home to the Algerian national team as well as six clubs based in Algiers: MC Alger, CR Belouizad, NA Hussein Dey, USM Alger, USM El Harrach and Paradou AC. Each of those six teams has their own stadium, but when they play against each other, the venue for these highly contested rivalry matches are moved to the much bigger Stade du Juillet. Although its current seating capacity is 64,000 it was originally 95,000 when first created in 1972 but has been decreased for safety concerns. In the 90’s, Algeria hosted the African Cup of Nations and the attendance to the final exceeded 90,000 fans. However, the record attendance in this stadium is an absurd 110,000, which was recorded in 2010 in a game against Serbia, their first match after Algeria clinched a spot in the World Cup (last time was the 1986 World Cup). For such a special occasion, the seating capacity was ignored that day.

Obviously, these aren’t the only African stadiums that deserve recognition. But the point is, the most enthusiastic fans are not only in Europe or in South America. They are everywhere, including Africa. An African country hosting the 2010 World Cup for the first time was a good time to showcase African football fandom to the world. Since then (and even before the 2010 World Cup) football fervor amongst African fans has always remained a constant, and its evident in the way they show out in stadiums, in support of the clubs and national team.