In celebration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Mall of Thembisa hosted the first-of-its-kind opening match fan park on Thursday, 11 June.

While fan parks themselves are not a new concept, this is the first time one has been hosted within a township retail space, and at affordable rates, to ensure local community members have access to the full World Cup experience.

“Sport is what unites us as a country. One only needs to think back to previous World Cups across all disciplines of sport, to remember the sense of unity, community and camaraderie it can create for South Africans,” says Exemplar CEO, Jason McCormick.

“As a company, Exemplar has always been passionate about the potential that sport has, not only to unite but also to uplift. By hosting sports tournaments and creating spaces to compete, we can keep the youth off the streets and engaged in healthy alternatives to drugs and criminal behaviour.”

This passion, along with Exemplar’s commitment to local-first initiatives, made the fan park a must-have experience.
It is no secret that retail is increasingly focusing on entertainment and creating relationship-based experiences rather than providing pure brick-and-mortar services. Hosting the fan park brings these experiences to the doorstep of the community of Thembisa and gives them access to events that previously required extensive travel or prohibitive costs.

The full experience of the opening match included big screens, live performances by local celebs Daliwonga, Njelic and JNR SA, as well as VIP ticket giveaways and Bafana Bafana merchandise.
Over 2 000 community members braved the cold for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and to show their support for the green and gold. Memories of the opening game, hosted 16 years ago in South Africa, were clearly at the front of mind as vuvuzelas sounded throughout the night and makarapas were on full display. Despite a disappointing loss, the community celebrations and vibe were contagious.

“From a retail point of view, this was also a great way for us to connect with our tenants as court space activations,
competition, collaboration, and ticket giveaways all combined to create a spirit of teamwork,” says Jason.  

The fan park came together thanks to the collaborative effort of Coke South Africa, South African Breweries and the Exemplar team. As a POC for fan parks in local locations outside of those that have traditionally been hosted, and with support as strong as that from the community of Thembisa, there will be many more to come.