World Cup Stadiums: Homes of the Beautiful Game

Soccer City, Johannesburg, 2010
This giant cassava of a stadium was the centerpiece of the tournament recently held in South Africa. Seating nearly 100,000, its facade comprises a tableau of fibrous concrete panels that, according to the architects, reflect not just the "colors and textures from the natural landscape of South Africa," but also "the randomness of the stars in the Johannesburg night sky."

• A Brief History of the World Cup
• What Becomes of Olympic Stadiums?