South Africa national soccer team

Pre-1992

Football first arrived in South Africa through colonialism in the late nineteenth century, as the game was popular among British soldiers.^[8] From the earliest days of the sport in South Africa until the end of apartheid, organised soccer was affected by the country's system of racial segregation. The all-white Football Association of South Africa (FASA) was formed in 1892, while the South African Indian Football Association (SAIFA), the South African Bantu Football Association (SABFA) and the South African Black Football Association (SACFA) were founded in 1903, 1933 and 1936 respectively.

In 1903 the SAFA re-affiliated with the English Football Association after the Second Boer War between the British Empire and the Boer state. There was a plan to play a tournament held in Argentina, with South Africa and Fulham as guest teams, but it was not carried out. Nevertheless, South Africa traveled to South America in 1906 to play a series of friendly matches there.^[9]

South Africa played a total of 12 matches in South America, winning 11 with 60 goals scored and only 7 conceded. Opponents included Belgrano A.C., the Argentina national team, a combined Liga Rosarina, Estudiantes (BA) and Quilmes.^[10] The only team that defeated South Africa was Argentina's Alumni 1–0 at Sociedad Sportiva stadium in Buenos Aires, on 24 June, although the South Africans would take revenge on 22 July, defeating them 2–0.^[11] The players were exclusively white, civil servants, government employees, bankers and civil engineers. Seven of the 15 players were born in South Africa and 8 originated from England and Scotland.^[9]

South Africa was one of four African nations to attend FIFA's 1953 congress, at which the four demanded, and won, representation on the FIFA executive committee.^[12] Thus the four nations (South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) founded the Confederation of African Football in 1956,^[12] and the South African representative, Fred Fell, sat at the first meeting as a founding member. It soon became clear however that South Africa's constitution prohibited racially mixed teams from competitive sport, and so they could only send either an all-black side or an all-white side to the planned 1957 African Cup of Nations. This was unacceptable to the other members of the Confederation, and South Africa was disqualified from the competition, however, some sources say that they withdrew voluntarily.^[13]

At the second CAF conference in 1958, South Africa were formally expelled from CAF. The all-white FASA were admitted to FIFA in the same year, but in August 1960 it was given an ultimatum of one year to fall in line with the non-discriminatory regulations of FIFA. On 26 September 1961 at the annual FIFA conference, the South African association was formally suspended from FIFA. Sir Stanley Rous, president of The Football Association of England and a champion of South Africa's FIFA membership, was elected FIFA President a few days later. Rous was adamant that sport, and FIFA in particular, should not embroil itself in political matters and against fierce opposition, he continued to resist attempts to expel South Africa from FIFA. The suspension was lifted in January 1963 after a visit to South Africa by Rous in order to investigate the state of soccer in the country.^[14]

Rous declared that if the suspension were not lifted, soccer there would be discontinued, possibly to the point of no recovery. The next annual conference of FIFA in October 1964 took place in Tokyo and was attended by a larger contingent of representatives from African and Asian associations and here the suspension of South Africa's membership was re-imposed. In 1976, after the Soweto uprising, they were formally expelled from FIFA.^[15]

In 1991, when the apartheid system was beginning to be demolished, a new multi-racial South African Football Association was formed, and admitted to FIFA – and thus finally allowing South Africa to enter the qualifying stages for subsequent World Cups.^[16]

1992–2000

After spending nearly two decades in international isolation, the South African national team played its first game on 7 July 1992, beating Cameroon 1–0 at Kings Park in Durban.^[17]

The team entered the 1994 Cup of Nations qualifiers and was placed in Group 5, along with Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They won one game, away to Mauritius, and drew with Mauritius and Zimbabwe at home. The team finished third in the group and failed to qualify.

For the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers South Africa was placed in Group D, along with Congo, Libya and Nigeria. Libya withdrew from the qualifiers. South Africa finished second in the group, and failed to qualify for the next stage of qualifying.

In 1996, a mere five years after readmission, South Africa achieved their finest moment when they hosted and won the 1996 African Cup of Nations, in the process of reaching 16th in the FIFA rankings.^[18]

The shock firing of AFCON-winning coach Clive Barker did little to slow momentum as they followed their 1996 success with a second-place finish at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations behind Egypt under Jomo Sono. The team had earned their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup, qualifying for France '98. Under head coach Philippe Troussier, South Africa suffered a 3–0 defeat to hosts France in their World Cup debut, and drew against Denmark and Asian juggernauts Saudi Arabia 1–1 and 2–2 respectively on their way to an early exit.

2000s

Under newly hired coach Trott Moloto, South Africa started the decade off strongly, finishing third in the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations; despite this, another coaching change was made. Portuguese Carlos Queiroz was hired as the man to take South Africa to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. South Africa qualified for the 2002 AFCON and were eliminated in the quarter-finals against hosts Mali. In the run-up to the World Cup, in which South Africa had easily qualified as winners of Group E, Queiroz left his post as head coach amid increasing behind-the-scenes political wrangling.

Former legend Jomo Sono was brought back in a caretaker capacity to lead South Africa in Korea/Japan. Placed in Group B along with Spain, Paraguay and debutants Slovenia, South Africa earned a 2–2 draw against Paraguay in their opening game with a last-gasp penalty from Quinton Fortune and followed that up with their first-ever victory at the finals with a 1–0 win over Slovenia. South Africa headed into their final game against Spain second in the group and three points clear of Paraguay and Slovenia. In arguably the game of the group,^{[citation needed]} in which five goals were scored inside the hour, South Africa twice came from a goal down in an agonising 3–2 defeat to the Spanish. In the other game, which kicked off at the same time, Paraguay found themselves beating Slovenia 3–1, with Paraguay's goal difference enough for them to surpass South Africa.

South Africa would go through 4 head coaches between the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups: Ephraim Mashaba (2002–2004), April Phumo (2004), Stuart Baxter (2004–2005), Ted Dumitru (2005–2006) and caretaker Pitso Mosimane (2006). None of them were able to match the success seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as South Africa failed to progress beyond the group stages in either the 2004 or 2006 Africa Cups of Nations, failing to register a single goal in the latter, with South Africa failing to qualify for the World Cup. After being placed in Group 2 for qualifying, South Africa missed the tournament in Germany by finishing behind Ghana.^{[citation needed]}

Former World Cup winner and Brazil national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was approached for the job, and he accepted. He signed a R100 million contract covering four years. His term as manager started 1 January 2007 targeting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which South Africa had been awarded the right to host. He resigned as coach in April 2008 due to family reasons. Joel Santana was hand-picked by Parreira to succeed him and he was signed to coach the team until 2010.^[19]

The World Cup hosts failed to qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, and Parreira would return in time for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup – also hosted by South Africa. The national team would see an improvement in performance, holding its own against eventual world champions Spain and perennial powerhouse Brazil, the latter requiring an 88th-minute goal to overcome South Africa in the semi-finals. South Africa would ultimately finish 4th, following a thrilling 3–2 loss to the Spanish in the third-place match.^{[citation needed]}

As World Cup hosts, South Africa was placed in Group A, along with Mexico, Uruguay and 2006 runners-up France. South Africa played the first game, which opened the World Cup 2010 tournament with a 1–1 draw against Mexico after taking the lead through a long-range Siphiwe Tshabalala strike. A heavy 3–0 defeat in the second group game against Uruguay and a Mexican win over France left South Africa with a mountain to climb in order to progress beyond the group stage. Despite defeating France, elimination in the group stage made South Africa become the first host to fail to progress beyond the first round of the World Cup.

More information Pos, Pld ...

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Uruguay	3	2	1	0	4	0	+4	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Mexico	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
3	South Africa (H)	3	1	1	1	3	5	−2	4
4	France	3	0	1	2	1	4	−3	1

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Following the conclusion of the World Cup and the expiration of his contract, Carlos Alberto Parreira announced his retirement from coaching. As part of his contract, Parreira had also drawn up a plan of recommendations extending as far as soccer development at grassroots level that SAFA was encouraged to review in the hopes of reviving the fortunes of the national football team.^{[citation needed]}

2010s

South Africa failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations finals after the rules were misread.^[20] They ultimately played for and achieved a draw at home in Nelspruit against Sierra Leone in a game they needed to win, when news about Niger trailing in Egypt was received, leading to the qualification of Niger at their expense, and also at Sierra Leone's. They then celebrated at the end as if they had qualified, making it the second time they would be so embarrassed in 4 years after qualifying as a lucky 3rd and last best runners-up for the 2008 edition, with Zambia catapulting over South Africa as Group winners after a 3–1 win in Cape Town – and thereby gaining an automatic qualifying ticket on the head-to-head record with the South Africans erroneously thinking goal difference would be the primary tie-breaker.^[21]

The SABC also announced that the team had qualified and the SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani then congratulated the team on TV before realisation dawned.^[22] SAFA said they would appeal to CAF but the appeal was later withdrawn.^[23][24]

South Africa continued to disappoint into 2012, opening the year with a lacklustre 0–0 draw away to 2012 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts Equatorial Guinea. This would be the start of a run that would see Bafana Bafana rack up 6 successive draws to start the year. The run of draws included 1–1, 0–0 and 1–1 draws at home to African champions Zambia, Ghana and Senegal respectively in International Friendlies. Following a 1–1 draw at home to Ethiopia in a 2014 World Cup qualifier, head coach Pitso Mosimane was fired.^[25] The draw increased South Africa's streak to 7 games without a win. Mosimane was replaced as head coach by Steve Komphela on an interim basis while SAFA interviewed potential candidates to fill the post on a permanent basis.

In his first game in charge as interim head coach, Komphela oversaw yet another uninspired performance in South Africa's second World Cup qualifier against Botswana as they drew yet again, extending their winless run to 8 games. Bafana Bafana finally tasted victory when they defeated Gabon 3–0 at home in a friendly, ending their winless streak.

Following the crisis in Libya throughout 2011, CAF made the decision to move the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations from Libya – who were the original hosts – to South Africa. Libya was then given the right to host the 2017 edition of the tournament, which was originally awarded to South Africa.^[26] The 2013 hosts were seeded and drawn in Group A along with Angola, Morocco and tournament debutants Cape Verde.^[27]

South Africa faced Group B runners-up Mali in the quarterfinals, being eliminated from the tournament 3–1 on penalties.

They received a First round bye when the qualifying process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup began on 30 July 2011. For the second round of the qualifying process, South Africa was placed in Pot 1 as a top-seeded nation for the draw from where they were drawn into Group A, along with neighbours Botswana, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia.

On 19 June 2013 it was reported in the South African press that Ethiopia had fielded an ineligible player against South Africa, who would possibly win 3–0 as a result.^[28] Despite this, Ethiopia were never punished, and South Africa failed to qualify for the tournament.

More information Pld, W ...

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
Ethiopia	6	4	1	1	8	6	+2	13	Third round		—	2–1	1–0	2–0
South Africa	6	3	2	1	12	5	+7	11			1–1	—	4–1	2–0
Botswana	6	2	1	3	8	10	−2	7			3–0[a]	1–1	—	3–2
Central African Republic	6	1	0	5	5	12	−7	3			1–2	0–3	2–0	—

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South Africa were eliminated in the group stage at the 2015 AFCON and failed to qualify for the tournament two years later. This, in addition to various controversies, disparaging remarks that Mashaba allegedly made about SAFA top officials, his supposedly arrogant nature and his ill-treatment of overseas-based stars, led to his suspension after leading South Africa to a 2–1 victory over Senegal in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

After being unable to reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Africa qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finishing second and undefeated, with a 2–0 away win over Nigeria.^[30] They were grouped with Morocco, Ivory Coast and Namibia, and narrowly qualified to the knockout stage with only a single 1–0 win over Namibia, facing hosts Egypt.^[31] The South Africans then pulled out the biggest upset in the tournament,^{[citation needed]} knocking Egypt out in the round of 16 stage with a 1–0 win in Cairo.^[32] Then, South Africa once again faced Nigeria in the quarter-finals, with the latter prevailing 2–1.^[33]

2020s

Under Molefi Ntseki, South Africa failed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. Molefi Ntseki was promptly sacked and the Hugo Broos was announced as his replacement.

Qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup began with South Africa in a group with Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. South Africa got off to a promising start, beating a weakened Ghana side 1–0 at home on Matchday 2 and going to the top of the group. South Africa remained at the top of the group until the final matchday when they lost 0–1 away to Ghana after a dubious penalty was awarded to Ghana in the first half. South Africa ultimately finished second to Ghana on goals scored, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final 10-team playoff round to qualify for the World Cup. South Africa qualified to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Liberia 2–1.^[34]

The 2023 AFCON was held in January 2024 in Côte d'Ivoire, with Bafana Bafana reaching the semi-finals after being placed in Group E alongside Mali, Namibia and Tunisia. Despite being docked three points in qualifying after fielding an ineligible player, South Africa qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.^[35]

On 5 December 2025, South Africa were drawn into Group A of the 2026 World Cup, and will play against Mexico, South Korea, and the Czech Republic. South Africa will open the tournament against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on 11 June 2026. This will be the second time that South Africa has played in the opening game of the tournament, the first being in 2010, when South Africa played against the same opponent, Mexico.

In December 2025, South Africa competed in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco, and finished 2nd in Group B, after 2 wins (2–1 win against Angola and 3–2 win against Zimbabwe) and a 1–0 loss against Egypt, who would ultimately finish 4th at the tournament. South Africa had a short knockout journey, as the lost their Round of 16 tie against Cameroon, 2–1, and exited the tournament. As of 19 January 2026, South Africa gained one spot in the FIFA Men's Rankings, climbing to 60th. In their AFCON win against Angola, South Africa ended a 21-year wait for an opening match victory.

Nickname

"Bafana Bafana" is a nickname given to the national side by its fans. It is Nguni and translates literally as "the boys, the boys". Its actual meaning in Nguni language is, "Go boys! Go boys!", though others take the double use of "Bafana" to mean "all of the boys"---the team and management, as well as the spectators; togetherness, as in the African concept of ubuntu.

In July 1992, at Kings Park stadium in Durban, fans shouted "Bafana Bafana" [GO BOYS GO BOYS] when South Africa was on the verge of beating Cameroon and after the game. A group of three journalists, from South Africa newspaper The Sowetan, then began to use the name in print when referring to the team. The name was initially used only informally, as SAFA felt that it was not commercially viable, and that it was degrading to refer to a team of men as boys.^[36]

Standton Woodrush Ltd applied to trademark the name in 1993. The trademark was granted but was for clothing only. In 1994, the team's technical sponsor at the time, Kappa, applied for the trademarks "Bafana" and "Bafana Bafana" in class 25. These were granted and subsequently passed on to SAFA. In 1997, SAFA filed for the trademark "Bafana Bafana" for all goods and services, in all classes.

SAFA then applied to have Standton Woodrush Ltd removed from the trademarks register, on the grounds that SAFA was the rightful owner of the name. The case was dismissed on the ground that SAFA was not an interested person within the meaning of this term as used in the Trade Marks Act No. 94 of 1993, which provides that only an interested party has legal standing to seek relief.

SAFA made another application to gain ownership of the trademark, with the second application going to the Appeal Court. The court again found that SAFA did not have the necessary grounds for ownership of the name in all classes. The court held that an intention to use a mark does not create a preference for registration, and that the proprietor of a trademark need not be its originator.

In 2011 SAFA paid R5 million to Standton Woodrush Ltd for rights to the name "Bafana Bafana", in class 25 and all other classes.^[37]

Home stadiums

The South Africa national football team does not use a single stadium as its home stadium for matches. Instead, they use a variety of stadiums throughout South Africa to host matches.

The largest venue used is the 94,700-seater Soccer City in Soweto, outside Johannesburg. Other often used venues include the Atteridgeville Super Stadium, outside Pretoria, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, outside Rustenburg, the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein and Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Matches have also been hosted at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Kings Park in Durban, Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Orlando Stadium in Soweto, and Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela.

The team has also hosted matches outside of South Africa. In preparation for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the team hosted a friendly in Baiersbronn, Germany. As a warm-up for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the team hosted a friendly at Mong Kok Stadium in Hong Kong. In 2006 the team hosted a Nelson Mandela Challenge match at Griffin Park, in London, England. During their preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the team hosted two matches in Germany. The matches were played at the BRITA-Arena in Wiesbaden and the Stadion am Bieberer Berg in Offenbach am Main.

Kits and crest

Throughout the years, Bafana Bafana has employed multiple logos to represent the team. Notably, they often utilise two primary logos simultaneously on their jerseys.

Sponsors

When the team returned to international soccer in 1992, their kit was supplied by an Italian clothing company, Kappa. The team wore Kappa kits up to and during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.^[38]

Following the 1998 World Cup, the kits for all South African national football teams were supplied by German sports apparel company Adidas. The sponsorship deal is believed to be worth Rs 14 million per year.^[39] Their contract with the South African Football Association ran until the end of 2010.

On 7 June 2011, SAFA announced Puma as its new technical sponsor and unveiled Bafana Bafana's new kit.^[40][41]

In October 2013, ABSA announced its resignation as a sponsor of SAFA and the South African national team as of the end of their contract in December 2013. This was followed a week later by the announcement from Puma, that they too would step down as technical sponsors of Bafana Bafana.^[42]

From March 2014 until June 2020, the official kit provider was the American sporting apparel company Nike from the international friendly match against Brazil.

From June 2020 to early 2026, the official kit provider was French sporting apparel company Le Coq Sportif.^[43]

The team now has one main sponsor, Castle Lager, a brand owned by South African Breweries. Smaller sponsors and suppliers include Energade and Tsogo Sun Hotels.^[44]

In 2022, Banxso became the official online trading partner for the team.^[45]

In 2026, Adidas was signed as the next kit provider for the South African National Team just in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, returning for the first time since the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

More information Kit provider, Period ...

Kit provider	Period
Kappa	1992–1998
Adidas	1999–2010
Puma	2011–2013
Nike	2014–2020
Le Coq Sportif	2020–2025
Adidas	2026–present

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Media coverage

The South African Football Association owns the rights to national team matches played in South Africa. SAFA currently has a contract with the South African Broadcasting Corporation, to broadcast these matches. It is up to the SABC to procure the rights to matches played outside of the country.

The SABC usually shows most national team games, though they have often had problems with broadcasting weekday matches. They have previously used delayed live footage,^[46] and sometimes not shown matches.^[47]

Most large tournaments in which the team play, such as the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, have separate broadcast rights. SuperSport purchase the pay TV rights to these tournaments, thus during these tournaments, they also show South African matches. The SABC usually holds the free to air rights to these tournaments, with the notable exception being the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Those matches were shown by e.tv.^[48]

Controversy in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

On 21 March 2025, South Africa played Lesotho in a 2026 CAF FIFA World Cup qualifier match. It was in this match that the coaching staff made the mistake of fielding an ineligible player, in Teboho Mokoena. The team were docked 3 points (the equivalent of points that were received after their win against Lesotho) and SAFA was fined over R216 000, while Mokoena was issued with a warning. SAFA did not appeal the decision.

2025

South Africa  v  Lesotho

21 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	South Africa	0–3[a]	Lesotho	Polokwane, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2	Mofokeng 60' Adams 64'	Report		Stadium: Peter Mokaba Stadium

Benin  v  South Africa

25 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Benin	0–2	South Africa	Abidjan, Ivory Cost
18:00 UTC+2		Report	Foster 53' Adams 84'	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium

South Africa  v  Tanzania

6 June Friendly	South Africa	0–0	Tanzania	Polokwane, South Africa
19:30 UTC+2		Report		Stadium: Peter Mokaba Stadium

South Africa  v  Mozambique

10 June Friendly	South Africa	2–0	Mozambique	Polokwane, South Africa
19:30 UTC+2	Kwayiba 47' Cupido 70'	Report		Stadium: Peter Mokaba Stadium

Lesotho  v  South Africa

5 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Lesotho	0–3	South Africa	Bloemfontein, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2		Report	Nkota 20' Foster 65' Appollis 67'	Stadium: Free State Stadium Referee: Dickens Mimisa (Kenya)

South Africa  v  Nigeria

9 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	South Africa	1–1	Nigeria	Bloemfontein, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2	Troost-Ekong 25' (o.g.)	Report	Bassey 44'	Stadium: Free State Stadium Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)

Zimbabwe  v  South Africa

10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Zimbabwe	0–0	South Africa	Durban, South Africa
				Stadium: Moses Mabhida Stadium

South Africa  v  Rwanda

14 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	South Africa	3–0	Rwanda	Mbombela, South Africa
	Mbatha 5' Appollis 26' Makgopa 72'			Stadium: Mbombela Stadium

South Africa  v  Zambia

15 November Friendly	South Africa	3–1	Zambia	Gqeberha, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Appollis 43' Nkota 62' Sithole 68'	Report	Sabobo 90+2'	Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Referee: Naftal Negongo (Namibia)

South Africa  v Ghana B

16 December Friendly	South Africa	1–0	Ghana B	Soweto, South Africa
16:00 UTC+2	Mbule 58'	Report		Stadium: Dobsonville Stadium

South Africa  v  Angola

22 December 2025 AFCON Group B	South Africa	2–1	Angola	Marrakesh, Morocco
18:00 UTC+1	Appollis 21' Foster 79'	Report	Show 35'	Stadium: Marrakesh Stadium Attendance: 4,013 Referee: Mahmood Ismail (Sudan)

Egypt  v  South Africa

26 December 2025 AFCON Group B	Egypt	1–0	South Africa	Agadir, Morocco
16:00 UTC+1	Hany  30'  45+2' Salah 45' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Adrar Stadium Attendance: 40,219 Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi)

Zimbabwe  v  South Africa

29 December 2025 AFCON Group B	Zimbabwe	2–3	South Africa	Marrakesh, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Maswanhise 19' Modiba 73' (o.g.)	Report	Moremi 7' Foster 50' Appollis 82' (pen.)	Stadium: Marrakesh Stadium Attendance: 9,235 Referee: Mustapha Kech Chaf (Morocco)

2026

South Africa  v  Cameroon

4 January 2025 AFCON Round of 16	South Africa	1–2	Cameroon	Rabat, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Makgopa 88'	Report	Tchamadeu 34' Kofane 47'	Stadium: Al Medina Stadium Attendance: 14,127 Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)

South Africa  v  Panama

27 March Friendly	South Africa	1–1	Panama	Durban, South Africa
19:00 UTC+2	Appollis 48'	Report	Bárcenas 23'	Stadium: Moses Mabhida Stadium Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Thabang Ketshabile (Botswana)

South Africa  v  Panama

31 March Friendly	South Africa	1–2	Panama	Cape Town, South Africa
19:30 UTC+2	Mbokazi 64'	Report	Córdoba 58' Ramos 77'	Stadium: Cape Town Stadium Referee: Thabang Ketshabile (Botsawana)

South Africa  v  Nicaragua

29 May Friendly	South Africa	v	Nicaragua	Johannesburg, South Africa
--:-- UTC+2				Stadium: TBA

Mexico  v  South Africa

11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup	Mexico	v	South Africa	Mexico City, Mexico
13:00 UTC−6		Report		Stadium: Estadio Azteca

Czech Republic  v  South Africa

18 June 2026 FIFA World Cup	Czech Republic	v	South Africa	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
12:00 UTC−4		Report		Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

South Africa  v  South Korea

24 June 2026 FIFA World Cup	South Africa	v	South Korea	Guadalupe, Mexico
19:00 UTC−6		Report		Stadium: Estadio BBVA

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Current squad

The following players were called up to the preliminary squad for the friendly matches against Panama on 27 and 31 March 2026.^[50]
Caps and goals correct as of 31 March 2026, after the match against Panama.

More information No., Pos. ...

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ronwen Williams (captain)	(1992-01-21) 21 January 1992 (age 34)	62	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
16	1GK	Renaldo Leaner	(1998-02-12) 12 February 1998 (age 28)	3	0	Sekhukhune United
22	1GK	Ricardo Goss	(1994-04-02) 2 April 1994 (age 32)	4	0	Siwelele
	1GK	Sipho Chaine	(1996-12-14) 14 December 1996 (age 29)	3	0	Orlando Pirates
	1GK	Darren Johnson	(1997-02-22) 22 February 1997 (age 29)	0	0	AmaZulu
2	2DF	Thabang Matuludi	(1999-01-14) 14 January 1999 (age 27)	2	0	Polokwane City
3	2DF	Khulumani Ndamane	(2004-02-05) 5 February 2004 (age 22)	5	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
6	2DF	Aubrey Modiba (fifth captain)	(1995-07-22) 22 July 1995 (age 30)	44	3	Mamelodi Sundowns
14	2DF	Mbekezeli Mbokazi	(2005-09-19) 19 September 2005 (age 20)	10	1	Chicago Fire
18	2DF	Samukele Kabini	(2004-03-15) 15 March 2004 (age 22)	5	0	Molde
19	2DF	Nkosinathi Sibisi	(1995-09-22) 22 September 1995 (age 30)	19	0	Orlando Pirates
20	2DF	Khuliso Mudau	(1995-04-26) 26 April 1995 (age 31)	32	1	Mamelodi Sundowns
21	2DF	Ime Okon	(2004-02-20) 20 February 2004 (age 22)	7	1	Hannover 96
	2DF	Deano van Rooyen	(1996-11-24) 24 November 1996 (age 29)	2	0	Orlando Pirates
	2DF	Tylon Smith	(2005-05-09) 9 May 2005 (age 21)	1	0	Queens Park Rangers
	2DF	Vuyo Letlapa	(2003-08-08) 8 August 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Sekhukhune United
	2DF	Olwethu Makhanya	(2004-04-30) 30 April 2004 (age 22)	0	0	Philadelphia Union
4	3MF	Teboho Mokoena (fourth captain)	(1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 (age 29)	51	9	Mamelodi Sundowns
5	3MF	Thalente Mbatha	(2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 26)	14	3	Orlando Pirates
11	3MF	Themba Zwane (vice-captain)	(1989-08-03) 3 August 1989 (age 36)	53	12	Mamelodi Sundowns
13	3MF	Yaya Sithole	(1999-03-03) 3 March 1999 (age 27)	27	1	Tondela
23	3MF	Jayden Adams	(2001-05-05) 5 May 2001 (age 25)	4	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
	3MF	Luke Le Roux	(2000-03-10) 10 March 2000 (age 26)	9	0	Portsmouth
	3MF	Ndamulelo Maphangule	(1999-10-22) 22 October 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Polokwane City
	3MF	Mthetheleli Mthiyane	(2001-01-21) 21 January 2001 (age 25)	0	0	Stellenbosch
7	4FW	Oswin Appollis	(2001-08-25) 25 August 2001 (age 24)	25	8	Orlando Pirates
8	4FW	Tshepang Moremi	(2000-10-02) 2 October 2000 (age 25)	9	1	Orlando Pirates
9	4FW	Lyle Foster	(2000-05-09) 9 May 2000 (age 26)	26	10	Burnley
10	4FW	Relebohile Mofokeng	(2004-10-23) 23 October 2004 (age 21)	12	0	Orlando Pirates
12	4FW	Thapelo Maseko	(2003-11-11) 11 November 2003 (age 22)	9	1	AEL Limassol
15	4FW	Bongokuhle Hlongwane	(2000-06-20) 20 June 2000 (age 25)	19	4	Minnesota United
17	4FW	Evidence Makgopa	(2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 25)	26	6	Orlando Pirates
	4FW	Thapelo Morena	(1993-08-06) 6 August 1993 (age 32)	33	3	Mamelodi Sundowns
	4FW	Iqraam Rayners	(1995-12-19) 19 December 1995 (age 30)	13	4	Mamelodi Sundowns
	4FW	Mohau Nkota	(2004-11-09) 9 November 2004 (age 21)	9	2	Al-Ettifaq
	4FW	Patrick Maswanganyi	(1998-04-04) 4 April 1998 (age 28)	5	2	Orlando Pirates
	4FW	Kamogelo Sebelebele	(2002-07-21) 21 July 2002 (age 23)	2	0	Orlando Pirates
	4FW	Yanela Mbuthuma	(2002-02-23) 23 February 2002 (age 24)	1	0	Orlando Pirates

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Recent call-ups

The following players were called up to a squad in the last 12 months. Caps and goals relate to the time at which the matches were played.

More information Pos., Player ...

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Brandon Petersen	(1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 31)	0	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Siyabonga Ngezana	(1997-07-15) 15 July 1997 (age 28)	11	0	FCSB	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Thabo Moloisane	(1999-02-24) 24 February 1999 (age 27)	2	0	Stellenbosch	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Fawaaz Basadien	(1996-12-23) 23 December 1996 (age 29)	4	0	Mamelodi Sundowns	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Malibongwe Khoza	(2004-03-16) 16 March 2004 (age 22)	4	0	Mamelodi Sundowns	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Thabiso Monyane	(2000-04-30) 30 April 2000 (age 26)	2	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Keegan Allan	(2000-08-07) 7 August 2000 (age 25)	0	0	AmaZulu	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Bradley Cross	(2001-01-30) 30 January 2001 (age 25)	0	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Fezile Gcaba	(1999-03-03) 3 March 1999 (age 27)	0	0	Durban City	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Nyiko Mobbie	(1994-09-11) 11 September 1994 (age 31)	30	0	Siwelele	v.  Nigeria, 9 September 2025
DF	Zuko Mdunyelwa	(1999-06-06) 6 June 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Mamelodi Sundowns	v.  Nigeria, 9 September 2025
MF	Bathusi Aubaas	(1998-07-11) 11 July 1998 (age 27)	16	1	Mamelodi Sundowns	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Sipho Mbule	(1998-03-22) 22 March 1998 (age 28)	8	0	Orlando Pirates	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Mduduzi Shabalala	(2004-01-20) 20 January 2004 (age 22)	1	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Sphesihle Maduna	(1999-12-26) 26 December 1999 (age 26)	0	0	TS Galaxy	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Siphesihle Mkhize	(1999-02-05) 5 February 1999 (age 27)	0	0	Sekhukhune United	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Masindi Nemtajela	(2001-08-23) 23 August 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Orlando Pirates	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Sinoxolo Kwayiba	(2000-02-15) 15 February 2000 (age 26)	5	1	Chippa United	v.  Mozambique, 10 June 2025
MF	Simphiwe Selepe	(2005-02-19) 19 February 2005 (age 21)	2	0	Orlando Pirates	v.  Mozambique, 10 June 2025
FW	Elias Mokwana	(1999-09-08) 8 September 1999 (age 26)	11	2	Al-Hazem	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Shandre Campbell	(2005-07-15) 15 July 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Club Brugge	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Mihlali Mayambela	(1996-08-25) 25 August 1996 (age 29)	16	2	Omonia	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Ashley Cupido	(2001-05-05) 5 May 2001 (age 25)	0	0	Stellenbosch	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Puso Dithejane	(2004-07-24) 24 July 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Chicago Fire	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Keletso Makgalwa	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 29)	0	0	Sekhukhune United	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to injury PRE = Preliminary squad RET = Retired from the national team SUS = Serving suspension WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

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Past squads

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

FIFA World Cup

Although South Africa has made three appearances in the World Cup, they have not made it past the first round. The team's first attempt to qualify was for the 1994 World Cup, two years after they had been readmitted to FIFA. Their first appearance was in France 1998. Despite a 3–0 drubbing to France in their opening game, they went on to draw against Denmark and Saudi Arabia; the team finished third and thus exited the tournament. Korea/Japan 2002 saw them eliminated in the group stage again after drawing to Paraguay and beating Slovenia 1–0 for their first-ever World Cup win. The team finished third in their group, losing out to Paraguay on goal difference.

Hosting the 2010 World Cup, they beat France 2–1 and drew 1–1 to Mexico, but lost 0–3 to Uruguay. They failed to advance to the round of 16, and became the first host country to fail to advance past the group stage.^[53]

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1962	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1966	Not admitted[54]									Not admitted
1970	Banned									Banned
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	2	4
1998	Group stage	24th	3	0	2	1	3	6		8	6	1	1	11	3
2002		17th	3	1	1	1	5	5		8	7	1	0	13	3
2006	Did not qualify									10	5	1	4	12	14
2010	Group stage	20th	3	1	1	1	3	5		6	2	1	3	5	5
2014	Did not qualify									6	3	2	1	12	5
2018										8	3	1	4	11	11
2022										6	4	1	1	6	2
2026	Group stage	TBD	0	0	0	0	0	0		10	5	3	2	14	9
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034
Total:4/15	Group stage	17th	9	2	4	3	11	16		66	37	12	17	87	56

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More information First Match, Biggest Win ...

South Africa's World Cup record
First Match	France  3–0  South Africa (12 June 1998; Marseille, France)
Biggest Win	South Africa  1–0  Slovenia (8 June 2002; Daegu, South Korea) South Africa  2–1  France (22 June 2010; Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Biggest Defeat	France  3–0  South Africa (12 June 1998; Marseille, France) Uruguay  3–0  South Africa (16 June 2010; Pretoria, South Africa)
Best Result	17th place at the 2002 World Cup
Worst Result	24th place at the 1998 World Cup

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FIFA Confederations Cup

More information FIFA Confederations Cup record, Year ...

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Banned
1995	Did not qualify
1997	Group stage	8th	3	0	1	2	5	7	Squad
1999	Did not qualify
2001
2003
2005
2009	Fourth place	4th	5	1	1	3	4	6	Squad
2013	Did not qualify
2017
Total	Fourth place	2/10	8	1	2	5	9	13	—

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More information First Match, Biggest Win ...

South Africa's Confederations Cup record
First Match	South Africa  2–2  Czech Republic (13 December 1997; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Biggest Win	South Africa  2–0  New Zealand (17 June 2009; Rustenburg, South Africa)
Biggest Defeat	Spain  2–0  South Africa (20 June 2009; Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Best Result	Fourth place at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
Worst Result	8th place at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup

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Africa Cup of Nations

More information Africa Cup of Nations record, Qualification record ...

Africa Cup of Nations record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Qualified, later disqualified due to apartheid									Qualified, later disqualified
1959	Banned due to apartheid									Banned due to apartheid
1962
1963
1965
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994	Did not qualify									6	1	2	3	5	10
1996	Champions	1st	6	5	0	1	11	2		Qualified as hosts
1998	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	2	1	9	6		Qualified as defending champions
2000	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	8	6		6	3	2	1	10	5
2002	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	2	1	3	3		6	3	3	0	9	4
2004	Group stage	11th	3	1	1	1	3	5		4	3	1	0	6	1
2006		16th	3	0	0	3	0	5		10	5	1	4	12	14
2008		13th	3	0	2	1	3	5		6	3	2	1	10	4
2010	Did not qualify									6	2	1	3	5	5
2012										6	2	3	1	4	2
2013	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	3	0	5	3		Qualified as hosts
2015	Group stage	15th	3	0	1	2	3	6		6	3	3	0	9	3
2017	Did not qualify									6	1	4	1	8	6
2019	Quarter-finals	7th	5	2	0	3	3	4		6	3	3	0	11	2
2021	Did not qualify									6	3	1	2	8	7
2023	Third place	3rd	7	2	4	1	7	3		4	3	1	0	7	3
2025	Round of 16	10th	4	2	0	2	6	6		6	4	2	0	16	5
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2028
Total	1 Title	12/35	54	20	17	17	61	54		84	39	29	16	120	71

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*Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

More information First Match, Biggest Win ...

South Africa's Africa Cup of Nations record
First Match	South Africa 3–0 Cameroon  (13 January 1996; Johannesburg, South Africa)
Biggest Win	South Africa 4–0 Namibia  (21 January 2024; Korhogo, Ivory Coast)
Biggest Defeat	Nigeria 4–0 South Africa  (31 January 2004; Monastir, Tunisia)
Best Result	Champions in 1996
Worst Result	Group stage in (2004, 2006, 2008 and 2015)

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