Soccer City can quite rightfully call itself the home of football in South Africa. In the mid 1980s, football officials came together to build the first international football stadium in the country and the construction was funded from the football fraternity's coffers. Soccer City hosted the first mass rally of Nelson Mandela after his release in 1990. Thousands of mourners lamented Chris Hani's assassination at the stadium in 1993. It was also the venue for the 1996 CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals, with South Africa eventually triumphing. It is also a neighbour to the home of the South African Football Association and its new headquarters, the SAFA House. The Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, as well as the FIFA offices, are currently being housed in SAFA House. Soccer City will be the flagship stadium for the first FIFA World Cup™ in Africa. The design is unique and unusual as the outer part of the stadium is designed to resemble an African pot. About 40 percent of Joburg's population live in Soweto, in close proximity to Soccer City. This will make the stadium a hub of activity during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It currently seats 80,000 people, but after its planned upgrade should seat 94,700.

Johannesburg is the business hub of South Africa, contributing a substantial part of the country's GDP approximately 12%.

Jozi, as it is affectionately known by its inhabitants, can also be a sanctuary of peace and calm. Despite the hustle and bustle of the city, Johannesburg is unexpectedly green and orientated towards outdoor living. It has a wealth of trees creating an 'urban forest', and many of the trees are located in the 2328 parks.

Cultural wealth is also in abundance, with a host of interesting museums including the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and the living memory of the South Western Townships (SOWETO). The Mai Mai Market is the oldest market in Johannesburg and is a great place to discover traditional remedies.

The city is in close proximity to the Cradle of Humankind. This UNESCO World Heritage site encompasses the Sterkfontein caves, the site where the oldest hominoid skeletons were found.

History
The Tswana name for Johannesburg is eGoli, place of gold, however, the San and Stone Age people were the first inhabitants of the area. The face of the area changed when an Australian gold prospector generated interest in the mineral wealth beneath the surface.

Johannesburg became a city in 1886, during the beginning of the Witwatersrand Gold Rush.

The city also became a political hotspot during the apartheid years. Soweto was an important instrument in the liberation of South Africa. In 1955, many anti-apartheid movements met in Kliptown to sign the Freedom Charter. The Charter enshrined the belief in equality for all. It also became the working document for the current Constitution of South Africa.

Football
The heartland of South African football, Johannesburg is the backbone of the professional game. The majority of clubs come from the city and its surrounds and the city's stadiums have hosted numerous historic matches.

The city centre has been at the core of football development in South Africa. Professional football was formed in the offices of the old Rand Daily Mail newspaper in 1958. In later years, football unity talks took place at the old Rand International Hotel. Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Jomo Cosmos and the now defunct Highlands Park, Rangers and Lusitano have all been championship-winning clubs.

Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have the biggest fan bases of any teams in southern Africa. When these two heavyweights meet in the Soweto Derby, it is easy to see why the fixture is among the most fiercely contested matches across the globe.

Johannesburg has also produced quality players. Jomo Sono, founder of Jomo Cosmos FC, and Kaizer Motaung, founder of Kaizer Chiefs, both played in the North American Soccer League in the United States. Sono played with Pele and Franz Beckenbauer at the New York Cosmos.

Patrick "Ace" Ntsoelengoe is revered as one of the greatest football players South Africa has ever produced. He enjoyed immense success in the NASL.

The Premier League-based Wits are a team based at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and has one of the largest clubs in the world, with membership totalling over 1,500 players. Due to their location, the team is affectionately known as the 'Clever Boys'.

Nelson Mandela is somewhat of a talisman for South African sports teams in Johannesburg. He was present for the finals of the 1995 Rugby World Cup at Ellis Park, when South Africa became the world champions. He was also present a year later at Soccer City for the finals of the 1996 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which South Africa won.