Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Football stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a five-tier soccer and rugby venue overlooking North End Lake in Gqeberha. Its white roof is formed of pointed petal-like panels radiating toward a central oval opening, giving it the nickname The Protea. The building stands about 40 m high, with a reddish-brown facade band and a pale base; it seats 46,000, with seats in shades from light orange to dark red.

The stadium was the first of five new venues to start construction for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, after the city chose a new build over rebuilding the EPRU Stadium. It opened on 7 June 2009 and hosted eight World Cup matches, including the third-place play-off. The Southern Kings rugby team was announced at the opening.

The name comes from the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, which covers Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), Uitenhage and Despatch; the municipality itself honours Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first president. Media often shorten it to "Nelson Mandela Stadium", which causes confusion with a stadium of that name in Kampala, Uganda. The white roof petals give the ground its nickname, The Protea.

Entry is through three colour-coded gates: A-B on Milner Avenue, B-C on Prince Alfred Road and C-D on Fettes Road. The western side opens toward the North End Lake. Four ramps give wheelchair access, and four more ramps lead from level 2 up to level 5. Parking inside the grounds covers five zones with 500 spaces, used by staff and event guests.

The seats mix light orange and dark red shades in a seemingly random pattern, a deliberate choice so the stands look fuller and sun-faded or replaced seats go unnoticed. The roof's white petals earned the ground its nickname, The Protea, after South Africa's national flower.