Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

This eastern city and Polokwane in the north are the two smallest host venues and World Cup organisers say some fans will have to be ferried in and out by buses and planes for big matches because of accommodation shortages.

Nelspruit is capital of the northeastern Mpumalanga province that borders Mozambique and Swaziland.

It is the centre of South Africa's big citrus fruit industry and gateway to its most famous game park, the Kruger. This is an area of beautiful mountains and waterfalls.

Mbombela, the first international-standard stadium in the province, has an atmospheric setting, nestling in low hills, with 18 orange roof supports resembling giraffes.

But construction has been dogged by controversy and scandal, including the murder of a local council politician who blew the whistle on alleged graft.

Residents of a run-down township next to the stadium also clashed with police last year in protests over failure to replace schools displaced by the construction and broken promises to deliver electricity, water and other services.

Capacity 46,000. Four matches to be played here.