Sport Forward: South Africa's second new World Cup stadium opens in Durban

The Moses Madhida World Cup stadium has opened in Durban

The new World Cup stadium in the city of Durban had a rainy opening as Amazulu played Maritzburg United in the South African Premier League.

The new 70,000-seater Moses Mabhida stadium had its capacity limited to 22,000 for the game, with just the lower tier open.

Even though tickets had sold out, steady rain kept the spectators away with only 15,000 turning out to watch.

Durban's is the second of the country's six new stadia to have opened.

The Port Elizabeth venue opened in June.

The Moses Mabhida stadium is named after a former leader of the South African Communist Party, and will host seven matches during the World Cup.

The stadium's outstanding feature is a cable car which ascends to a viewing platform at the top of a 350m arch.

Visitors are able to travel to the top of the arch above the playing surface and have panoramic views of the nearby shoreline and city.

The other four stadia in Polokwane, Nelspruit, Cape Town and Soccer City in Johannesburg are due to be opened before February.

The draw for the 2010 World Cup will be held on 4 December in Cape Town.

The tournament will be played from June 11 to July 11.

Sport Forward