Now in 3D: Cape Town, FNB, Ellis Park and four more

Sit in any seat
before you buy.

BeforeTheRun Stadiums rebuilds South Africa's big grounds in 3D, block by block and seat by seat. Fly over the stadium, drop into any seat and look around: how far you are from the pitch, how high up, and whether the roof covers you.

Choose a stadium Open Cape Town Stadium
  • Free, in your browser
  • Day, golden hour or night
  • Rugby or football

What you get

Know the view before you book the seat.

Each stadium is rebuilt from its own seating plan and published specifications, then set on real terrain and satellite imagery, with the mountains, the sea and the city around it.

  • Every seat, by block and row

    Blocks are numbered as on the venue's plan. Pick one to see every seat in it, row 1 nearest the pitch.

  • Fly into any seat

    Pick a seat and the camera flies down into it. Look around, then move a seat left or right, or a row forward or back.

  • The numbers for your seat

    How far you are from the centre spot, how high above the pitch, how much of your view the pitch fills, and whether you're under the roof.

  • Day, golden hour or night

    The low sun of a late kick-off, or a night match with the floodlights blazing and the city lit up around the ground.

  • Rugby or football

    Switch the markings and the posts for the match you're going to.

  • Free, in your browser

    No app and no sign-up: every stadium opens straight away on a phone, tablet or laptop.

Stadiums

Seven grounds in 3D. Pick one and take a seat.

Cape Town Stadium in 3D, with Signal Hill and Table Mountain behind

Green Point, Cape Town

In 3D now

Cape Town Stadium

Home of the Stormers

Built for the 2010 World Cup between Signal Hill and the Atlantic, under a 37,000 m² glass roof. Three tiers of pearly grey seats, with Table Mountain and Lion's Head over the rim.

  • 55,000Capacity
  • 53,714Seats in 3D
  • 2009Opened

From our 3D model: imagery Esri World Imagery (Maxar, Earthstar Geographics), terrain Mapzen Terrain Tiles

FNB Stadium in 3D: the calabash and its orange seats

Nasrec, Johannesburg

In 3D now

FNB Stadium

Home of Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana

The calabash: Africa's biggest stadium, rebuilt for the 2010 World Cup final. Orange seats in a sunken lower bowl and a steep upper tier, with ten black lines pointing to the other World Cup venues and Berlin.

  • 94,736Capacity
  • 76,078Seats in 3D
  • 1989Opened

From our 3D model: imagery Esri World Imagery (Maxar, Earthstar Geographics), terrain Mapzen Terrain Tiles

Ellis Park Stadium in 3D, with the Johannesburg skyline

Doornfontein, Johannesburg

In 3D now

Ellis Park Stadium

Home of the Lions

Where South Africa won the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Double-decker grandstands under white roofs on red trusses, a North upper tier added for 2010, and Hillbrow Tower and Ponte City on the skyline.

  • 62,567Capacity
  • 51,590Seats in 3D
  • 1928Opened

From our 3D model: imagery Esri World Imagery (Maxar, Earthstar Geographics), terrain Mapzen Terrain Tiles

Moses Mabhida Stadium in 3D, under its arch by the Indian Ocean

Stamford Hill, Durban

In 3D now

Moses Mabhida Stadium

Under the arch

A 106 m arch over a membrane roof, a few hundred metres from the Indian Ocean. The seats run from blue and green low down to ivory at the top, in blocks 100 to 335 numbered as on the venue's plan.

  • 55,500Capacity
  • 53,793Seats in 3D
  • 2009Opened

From our 3D model: imagery Esri World Imagery (Maxar, Earthstar Geographics), terrain Mapzen Terrain Tiles

Loftus Versfeld Stadium in 3D, its four stands of blue seats

Arcadia, Pretoria

In 3D now

Loftus Versfeld

Home of the Bulls and Mamelodi Sundowns

A rugby ground since 1923, with four stands of Bulls-blue seats. Every block edge comes from the Bulls' own plan, from the Grand Stand's halfway boxes to the corners of the Eastern stand.

  • 51,762Capacity
  • 51,934Seats in 3D
  • 1923Opened

From our 3D model: imagery Esri World Imagery (Maxar, Earthstar Geographics), terrain Mapzen Terrain Tiles

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in 3D, beside North End Lake

North End, Gqeberha

In 3D now

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Under the Protea roof

On the shore of North End Lake, under 36 white roof petals. All 113 blocks were measured off the venue's plan, in orange to red seats mixed at random.

  • 46,000Capacity
  • 46,036Seats in 3D
  • 2009Opened

From our 3D model: imagery Esri World Imagery (Maxar, Earthstar Geographics), terrain Mapzen Terrain Tiles

Kings Park Stadium in 3D, next to Moses Mabhida

Stamford Hill, Durban

In 3D now

Kings Park Stadium

Home of the Sharks

Built from the Sharks' own ticket map: every reserved seat sits where its section, row and number put it. Next door to Moses Mabhida, with the Kingston Beach Club at the south end.

  • 46,000Capacity
  • 35,326Seats in 3D
  • 1958Opened

From our 3D model: imagery Esri World Imagery (Maxar, Earthstar Geographics), terrain Mapzen Terrain Tiles

Coming soon

More South African grounds, built the same way.

  • Mbombela StadiumMbombela
  • Peter Mokaba StadiumPolokwane
  • Royal Bafokeng StadiumRustenburg
  • Free State StadiumBloemfontein
  • Orlando StadiumSoweto

How we build them

Placed from the plan, checked against the satellite.

Every model starts from the venue's own seating plan or ticket map, then is fitted to satellite imagery. Rows per block and seat heights are rarely published, so those are careful estimates.

  • 113 of 113

    Blocks measured off the plan

    Nelson Mandela Bay's plan was split into its 113 blocks and measured: every block sits within 1.6 m of where the plan puts it.

  • 35,326

    Seats placed by their ticket numbers

    Kings Park comes from the Sharks' own ticket map: every reserved seat sits where its section, row and number put it.

  • 0.6 m

    Checked against the satellite

    Stand fronts, roofs and the pitch are measured on satellite imagery. At Loftus Versfeld the middle block is 0.6 m from its place on the Bulls' plan.