Ellis Park, a symbol of South Africa's emergence from the apartheid era, will now play a major part in hosting the biggest sports event ever to be played in Africa.
In 1995, the sight of Nelson Mandela, wearing the once-hated Springbok shirt, shaking hands with victorious South Africa rugby captain Francois Pienaar, broke down barriers between the black and white communities in the country.
Fifteen years later, the famous rugby ground will stage seven games at the 32-team football World Cup, with teams such as Brazil, Spain, Argentina and defending champion Italy playing group games at the sometimes intimidating stadium near the center of Johannesburg.
Ellis Park, with an increased capacity of 62,500 for the football championship, will also stage one game in the second round and one quarterfinal match at the first World Cup to be staged in Africa. By then, it will have played its part.
Although in football terms it plays a secondary role to the 87,000-capacity Soccer City, which has been rebuilt, Ellis Park will bring its history to the World Cup. Well before South Africa won the global rugby championship at a time when the country was only just emerging from apartheid, the stadium established itself as one of the game's best.
First built in 1927, Ellis Park hosted many rugby internationals and the huge stadium once had 100,000 fans inside to watch South Africa face the British Lions in 1955. It was reconstructed and reopened in 1982 with a smaller capacity but the tall stands helped the fans create a hostile atmosphere which made it uncomfortable for visiting teams.
The 1,753-meter (5,732-feet) altitude of the city is tricky to cope with, too, and teams playing in Johannesburg will likely spend time training well above sea level to get used to the thinner air on South Africa's plateau, known as the Highveld. Ellis Park won't host any of South Africa's games.
Last June, the stadium hosted the final of the Confederations Cup, the pre-World Cup tournament won by Brazil in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the United States.
The first World Cup game it hosts will be between Argentina and Nigeria in Group B on June 12. Brazil will face North Korea in Group G three days later. The United States returns to Ellis Park to face Slovenia in Group C on June 18, and European champion Spain meets Honduras in Group H on June 21. Italy takes on Slovakia in Group F on June 24.
If Brazil wins its group, it will return to Ellis Park in the second round with a chance of facing Spain. But if the European champions win their group there's a chance they may make it to Ellis Park for the quarterfinals, where Italy could be waiting.
