Pretoria — FNB Stadium will be known as the National Stadium over the duration of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The announcement was made on Thursday after First National Bank (FNB) agreed to surrender its naming right of the Soweto stadium during the 2013 Afcon.

There had been a dispute between the Department of Public Works, the owner of the stadium and FNB on the branding of the stadium - where several matches will be played - during Afcon.

The agreement reached on Thursday is in line with the FIFA rule on the non-branding of stadia for FIFA tournaments. The new name will be used exclusively over the course of the tournament.

The stadium, also known as Soccer City and The Calabash, is located in Nasrec, the Soweto area of Johannesburg. It is situated next to the South African Football Association headquarters (Safa House), where both the FIFA offices and the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup were housed.

The stadium has previously hosted the final of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

South Africa will host the biggest African soccer spectacle, which kicks off on 19 January and wraps up on 10 February 2013.