Tight security was already in force at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Tuesday, with army officers and police keeping a watchful eye as army helicopters buzzed up and down the coastline of the city.

The stadium had its official opening in February, although painters on Tuesday spruced up some entrances while workers unloaded boxes with lime-green stools destined for the VIP lounges, and street crews straightened out crooked bricks in the pedestrian footpaths around the stadium.

South Korea plays Greece in Group B on Saturday in the first match at the venue.