World Cup Factfile: South Africa

It’s been a long time since Siphiwe Tshabalala set the World Cup alight with his opening-day rocket at South Africa’s host World Cup. That was the last time the country made it to football’s biggest stage but Bafana Bafana are finally back. They’ll be targeting entry into the knockout rounds for the first time.

Fixtures (UK time)

Mexico, June 11, 8pm
Czechia, June 18, 5pm
South Korea, June 25, 2am

How They Qualified

South Africa’s qualifying campaign nearly ended in glorious failure when they had a 2-0 win over Lesotho overturned due to fielding suspended midfielder Teboho Mokoena. That meant that qualification depended on a final day win over Rwanda to finish a point above group rivals Nigeria and Benin. Whilst no South Africa player scored more than two goals during the campaign, they shared their 17 goals between 12 different players.

The Manager

Hugo Broos‘ 37-year-long managerial career will come to an end after the World Cup. In his five-year tenure, he’s brought stability to the national team and finally led them to their first World Cup since 2010. The 74-year-old also has an Africa Cup of Nations win to his name, having led Cameroon to the title in 2017.

The Star

South Africa will rely on the safe hands of Ronwen Williams if they are to make safe passage through to the knockout rounds. The goalkeeper has spent his entire career in South African football but was named the ninth best goalkeeper in the world at the 2024 Ballon d’Or awards.

The Familiar Face

Lyle Foster is the only member of the South Africa squad playing in England. He has scored 10 goals in 31 appearances for the national team but netted just three times in Burnley’s unsuccessful Premier League campaign. The 25-year-old is expected to lead the line for South Africa.

Did you know?

South Africa were the first host nation to fail to progress from the group stage. They were joined by Qatar, who finished bottom of their group four years ago.

The Prediction

Group Stage

South Africa has a severe lack of players plying their trade in top-tier domestic leagues, and that could prove to be their downfall. They’ll need to target a win over Czechia if they are to progress.