CT quarter-final drew 300 000

Cape Town - The World Cup quarter final clash between Argentina and Germany drew a record 300 000 fans to Cape Town's inner city on Saturday, authorities said.

The Cape Town Stadium was filled to capacity with 64 100 spectators while 42 000 people passed through the fan area on the Grand Parade during the day, the city's communications department said.

About 120 000 more fans crowded the V&A Waterfront to watch the match and take part in festivities, while 153 000 people ambled along the Fan Walk.

Famous faces at the match that saw Germany defeat Argentina 4-0 to proceed to the semi-finals included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and Hollywood stars Charlize Theron and Orlando Bloom.

The city said it was expecting "tens of thousands" of fans to flock to the city on Tuesday when the Netherlands meet Uruguay here in the first semi-final of the World Cup.

It will be the last match of the tournament in Cape Town and authorities appealed to spectators and other fans to arrive early to avoid congestion.