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South Africa national soccer team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's football team. For the women's team, see South Africa women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
South Africa
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Bafana Bafana
Association South African Football Association (SAFA)
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach Hugo Broos
Captain Ronwen Williams
Most caps Aaron Mokoena (107)
Top scorer Benni McCarthy (31)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code RSA
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 74 Decrease 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest 16 (August 1996)
Lowest 124 (December 1992)
Elo ranking
Current 71 Increase 1 (3 March 2019)
Highest 21 (9) (September 1996 (October 1955))
Lowest 94 (May 2006)
First international
 Argentina 0–1 South Africa 
(Buenos Aires, Argentina; 9 July 1906)
Biggest win
 Australia 0–8 South Africa 
(Adelaide, Australia; 17 September 1955)
Biggest defeat
 South Africa 1–9 England 
(Cape Town, South Africa; 17 July 1920)
World Cup
Appearances 3 (first in 1998)
Best result Group Stage (1998, 2002, 2010)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 11 (first in 1996)
Best result Champions (1996)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2005)
Best result Quarter-finals (2005)
African Nations Championship
Appearances 2 (first in 2011)
Best result Quarter-finals (2011)
Medal record
CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Gold 1996 South Africa Team
Silver 1998 Burkina Faso Team
Bronze 2000 Nigeria and Ghana Team
Bronze 2023 Ivory Coast Team
COSAFA Cup
Gold 2002 Southern Africa
Gold 2007 Southern Africa
Gold 2008 South Africa
Gold 2016 Namibia Team
Gold 2021 South Africa
Bronze 2013 Zambia Team
Website safa.net

The South Africa men's national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and it is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for Soccer in South Africa. Nicknamed Bafana Bafana (The Boys in Zulu), the team's home ground is FNB Stadium, which is located in Johannesburg. The team is a member of both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF). The team are one of the most well-supported national sides in Africa, and are recognized by their traditional yellow-green kits.

Having played their first match in 1906, they returned to the world stage in 1992, after 16 years of being banned from FIFA, and 40 years of effective suspension due to the apartheid system. South Africa have qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times: 1998, 2002, and 2010, when it hosted the tournament, becoming the first African nation to do so. Despite defeating France 2–1 in their final game of the Group Stage, they failed to progress from the first round of the tournament, becoming the first host nation in the history of the FIFA World Cup to exit in the group stage, followed by Qatar in 2022. As of 15 February 2024, the team is ranked 10th in Africa (CAF) and 58th in FIFA.

South Africa's most significant achievement came in 1996 when they hosted and won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). They reached the final again in 1998 but were defeated by Egypt.

Some of the most notable players in Bafana Bafana's history include Benni McCarthy, the team's top scorer with 31 goals, and Aaron Mokoena, who holds the record for the most caps with 107 appearances. Other significant players include Lucas Radebe, Doctor Khumalo, and Itumeleng Khune.

History

Main article: Soccer in South Africa

Pre-1992

Football first arrived in South Africa through colonialism in the late nineteenth century, as the game was popular among British soldiers. 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.

South african fa 1906
The South African team that toured South America in 1906. They played 12 matches with only one defeat.

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.

South Africa played a total of 12 matches in South America, winning 11 with 60 goals scored and only 7 conceded. Some of the rivals were Belgrano A.C., Argentina national team, a Liga Rosarina combined, Estudiantes (BA) and Quilmes. The only team that could beat South Africa was the Argentine Alumni by 1–0 at Sociedad Sportiva stadium of Buenos Aires, on 24 June, although the South Africans would take revenge on 22 July, defeating the Alumni by 2–0.

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.

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. Thus the four nations (South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) founded the Confederation of African Football in 1956, 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.

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.

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.

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.

1992–1994: Readmission

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.

The team entered the 1994 Africa 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 beat Congo home and away. They drew with Nigeria at home and lost away. South Africa finished second in the group, and failed to qualify for the next stage of the qualifiers.

1996–1998: Rise

In 1996, a mere 5 years after readmission, South Africa achieved their finest moment when they hosted (and won) the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, in the process reaching the lofty heights of 16th in the FIFA rankings. The shock firing of Cup of Nations 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 after 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 heavy 3–0 defeat to hosts France in their World Cup debut, but played credibly against other group opponents Denmark and Asian juggernauts Saudi Arabia, earning 1–1 and 2–2 draws respectively on their way to an early exit.

2000–2002: Peak and coaching instability

Following their successful 1996 and 1998 Africa Cup of Nations' campaigns and their World Cup debut in 1998, South Africa were seen as a growing power on the continent. Under the coaching of the newly hired Trott Moloto they would start the decade off strongly, finishing third in the 2000 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, but as was increasingly symptomatic of soccer in South Africa at the national level, yet 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 Africa Cup of Nations and were eliminated in the quarter-finals against hosts Mali. In the run-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, for 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 at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, South Africa had high hopes of progressing to the knockout phase of the tournament. After earning a 2–2 draw against Paraguay in their opening game with a last-gasp penalty from Quinton Fortune and following it 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 3 points clear of Paraguay and Slovenia. In arguably the game of the group, in which 5 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 as the South Africa-Spain game, Paraguay found themselves beating Slovenia 2–1, but the result was not enough for Paraguay to surpass South Africa in the standings as South Africa's goal difference of zero was superior to Paraguay's minus one. But South African hearts would be broken. With 84 minutes gone in the Slovenia-Paraguay game Nelson Cuevas bagged a vital third goal for Paraguay, giving Paraguay a 3–1 victory over Slovenia. The win left both Paraguay and South Africa level on 4 points with the late Cuevas strike against Slovenia lifting Paraguay's goal difference to zero, level with South Africa's. The deciding factor moved onto a third tiebreaker; goals scored, and as Paraguay had scored six goals to South Africa's five, they progressed to the Round of 16 at the expense of South Africa. What made the early exit all the more heartbreaking was that South Africa was the only team in the group that managed to hold its own against runaway group winners Spain, as both Slovenia and Paraguay were comfortably cast aside 3–1 by the Spanish.

This era (1996–2002) of rising soccer prowess saw South Africa blessed with fine footballers such as record-setting goalscorers Benni McCarthy & Shaun Bartlett, defensive hardmen and inspirational captains Lucas Radebe & Neil Tovey, creative maestros John Moshoeu & Doctor Khumalo and defensive stalwart Mark Fish.

2002–2006: Decline and coaching roundabout

In the period following the 2002 World Cup and leading up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, South Africa would go through 4 head coaches; Ephraim Mashaba (2002–2004), April Phumo (2004), Stuart Baxter (2004–2005), Ted Dumitru (2005–2006) and caretaker Pitso Mosimane (2006). Neither coach was able to match the successes seen in the period 1996–2002 as South Africa failed to progress beyond the group stages in either the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations or 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, failing to register a single goal in the latter. Above all though, South Africa failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After being placed in Group 2 for qualifying, South Africa were beaten to Germany by Ghana. Following poor performances in both the 2004 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, rumours circulated that SAFA had been attempting to attract a high-profile international manager to coach Bafana Bafana and that former England boss Sven-Göran Eriksson had been targeted. This rumour however has been denied.

2007–2010: Hosting the World Cup

FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa Uruguay
South Africa vs Uruguay at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

By failing to register a single goal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations and by missing out on Germany 2006, local supporters had become increasingly unhappy with the decline in the performance of the national team. In light of these poor performances, it was decided that the hiring of a more experienced manager was essential. 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, becoming the first African nation to ever host association football's global showpiece.

Under Parreira, with his rich history of success at the international level, South Africa was expected to improve, but early signs were not good as they would exit the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations at the first hurdle once again. To make matters worse, Parreira stood down 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. Under Santana South Africa would slide into its darkest period in international soccer since readmission. Failing to even qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations with soccer characterised by a complete lack of creativity and little goal-scoring threat, South Africa tumbled down the FIFA rankings and was at one point not even ranked among Africa's top-10 nations. Santana was fired in 2009 and Parreira would return in time for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup – also hosted by South Africa – and South Africa 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 3rd/4th Place Playoff.

A string of victories, albeit against marginal opposition, in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup seemed to instill a sense of confidence in the team as well as the nation. For the 2010 World Cup, the first in Africa, South Africa was placed in Group A, along with Mexico, surprise package and eventual semi-finalists Uruguay and former world champions 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. Katlego Mphela would hit the post late into the game as South Africa, buoyed by a frenzied home crowd, so very nearly opened the tournament with a win. 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. For the deciding match against France, Parreira would discard his previous tactics of a defensive-minded five-man midfield and a lone forward in favour of a more attacking formation utilising two forwards, as up until the France game South Africa had focused more on not losing than they did on trying to win, but the heavy defeat against Uruguay coupled with Mexico's victory over France had now left them with a goal difference of negative three that needed to be overcome in order for them to progress. South Africa would also require a favour from Uruguay, needing the Uruguayans to inflict a sizeable defeat on Mexico to aid their chances of progress. The change in tactics worked as South Africa gained the upper hand over the French, attacking at will. At the half, South Africa had a 2–0 lead thanks to goals from Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela while Uruguay were beating Mexico 1–0 in the other group game. As it stood, South Africa needed at least one more goal against France while Uruguay needed to double their lead against Mexico. It was not to be as while South Africa did secure a historic victory over France, they failed to score again and conceded a late goal for a 2–1 victory while the Uruguayans had failed to add to their lead, as they ran out 1–0 victors over Mexico. For the second World Cup in a row, South Africa finished level on points with second place but were eliminated, this time on goal difference while it had been on goals scored in 2002. Elimination in the group stage made South Africa the first host to fail to progress beyond the first round of a World Cup.

FRA-RSA 2010-06-22
South Africa-France starting lineups 2010-06-22

2010 FIFA World Cup Group A 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 soccer team. Pitso Mosimane, who had been Parreira's assistant, was selected as the new head coach with Parreira's blessings.

2012–2014: Continued struggles

South Africa failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations finals after the rules were misread. 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.

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

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. 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.

Komphela, along with Gordon Igesund, Gavin Hunt, Neil Tovey and Ephraim Shakes Mashaba had been shortlisted as one of the candidates to be the next head coach of South Africa, with Komphela and Igesund emerging as the front-runners. On 30 June 2012, Gordon Igesund was appointed as the new head coach.

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 on the grounds of safety and security. Libya was then given the right to host the 2017 edition of the tournament, which was originally awarded to South Africa. As hosts of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa would automatically qualify for the competition.

South Africa, as hosts, were seeded and drawn in Group A along with Angola, Morocco and tournament debutants Cape Verde.

South Africa kicked the tournament off on 19 January against debutants Cape Verde at a wet National Stadium. South Africa made use of a defensive formation as coach Gordon Igesund deployed two deep midfielders in Kagisho Dikgacoi and Reneilwe Letsholonyane and along with the poor weather conditions delivered an uninspired performance resulting in a 0–0 draw. In the hosts' second group game against Angola, coach Igesund dropped his midfield pairing of Dikgacoi and Letsholonyane and opted for a new midfield pairing of the defensive minded Dean Furman and the more attacking May Mahlangu. The result was a far more confident display as Dean Furman took control of the midfield – something that was lacking in the first game – and delivered a man of the match performance. South Africa ran out winners with goals from Siyabonga Sangweni and Lehlohonolo Majoro setting up a 2–0 victory. Heading into the final group game against Morocco South Africa only had to avoid defeat in order to progress to the knockout stages while Morocco needed a win to progress. South Africa put in a woeful first-half performance that saw them 1–0 down at halftime and struggling with the Moroccans' direct approach. It was only thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who pulled off a string of stunning saves, that South Africa were not further behind. An improved second half saw South Africa fight back with an equaliser from May Mahlangu, but South Africa continued to look vulnerable against Morocco's direct approach and subsequently fell behind again in the 81st minute. But typical of their improved tenacity in the second half South Africa swiftly responded through a Siyabonga Sangweni equaliser in the 86th minute. South Africa hung on to the draw, with the result enough to see them win group A and progress to the quarterfinals. Sangweni's late equaliser would prove vital as an injury time winner by Cape Verde in their final game against Angola would have seen Morocco and Cape Verde progress at the expense of South Africa, but as it was South Africa went through along with Cape Verde, who enjoyed a stunning debut in Africa's showpiece tournament.

South Africa were drawn against Group B runners-up Mali in the quarterfinals. South Africa delivered a stunning first-half performance, playing at a high tempo to negate the Malians' superior physical presence. Unable to keep up with the pace of the game, Mali were overwhelmed as South Africa carved out chance after chance, finally making the breakthrough in the 31st minute as Thuso Phala drove into the box and fired a low cross across the goalmouth which an open Tokelo Rantie pounced on. South Africa headed into the break 1–0 up. However, in the second half, led by veteran midfielder and captain Seydou Keita, the Malians began to impose themselves and equalised in the 58th minute amid a momentary defensive collapse as the South African defense allowed captain Keita to head home an unchallenged cross. From that point on it was Mali that controlled the game. Neither side was able to secure a winner and the game headed into extra time. After another goalless 30 minutes, the game moved to penalties. Siphiwe Tshabalala took the first penalty and gave South Africa the lead with a stunningly placed shot into the top left corner. Cheick Diabaté would swiftly respond. Then South Africa's tournament proceeded to unravel. Dean Furman was next up for South Africa but he saw his weak shot easily saved by goalkeeper Soumbeïla Diakité. Adama Tamboura would score Mali's second penalty handing them the advantage. In an almost carbon copy of Furman's penalty, May Mahlangu's penalty was also easily saved low to the left by goalkeeper Diakité. Mahamane Traoré confidently dispatched Mali's third penalty, handing them a comfortable 3–1 cushion. Lehlohonolo Majoro was next up for South Africa but the pressure was too much as he fired a wild shot high and to the right of the goal. With the miss, South Africa were eliminated from the tournament 3–1 on penalties.

After a poor 2012 in which South Africa had performed poorly and had steadily slid down FIFA's rankings, their performance in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations was a marked improvement. Although coach Gordon Igesund had been handed the almost impossible task of a semifinal berth as a target in his contract, SAFA came out and said the signs of improvement were sufficient for Igesund's job to remain safe.

South Africa received a First round bye when the qualifying process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup got underway 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 neighbors Botswana, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia. South Africa opened their qualifying campaign with a dismal performance, struggling to overcome a one-goal deficit in a 1–1 home draw with Ethiopia, a nation ranked nearly 70 places below them. This result, coupled with the less than an inspiring string of results that had seen South Africa winless in the past 6 outings that preceded it, resulted in the sacking of head coach Pitso Mosimane. Under interim head coach Steve Khompela, South Africa played out to yet another uninspiring 1–1 draw, this time away to Botswana.

Following on from a positive display in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Gordon Igesund guided South Africa to their first victory in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers as they beat the Central African Republic 2–0 in Cape Town. South Africa continued their push for a place at the World Cup with a 3–0 win over the Central African Republic on 8 June. South Africa endured a difficult build-up to the game as they were only able to practice once before the game due to a delayed connecting flight, but they performed admirably against their physical opponents on a bumpy pitch. The win was South Africa's first away win in a World Cup qualifier since 2005. Ethiopia also won their match away to Botswana on the same day, maintaining their 2-point lead over South Africa.

South Africa and Ethiopia met in a potential group decider in Addis Ababa on 16 June, with the Ethiopians going undefeated at home in 12 games. South Africa were under pressure from the kick-off and as early as the 3rd-minute goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was forced into a stunning save. South Africa would recover to take a 1–0 lead through a stunning left-footed half volley from Bernard Parker in the 33rd minute. The lead was short-lived as Ethiopia equalised in the 44th minute following a defensive lapse by South Africa when they failed to deal with a loose ball on the edge of the box. Ethiopia would secure the win thanks to a stunning own goal by Bernard Parker in the 70th minute as he headed the ball into his own net from a free-kick. The 2–1 defeat ended South Africa's qualification hopes and assured Ethiopia passage to the third and final round of qualifying. However, following the match it emerged that Ethiopia were under investigation for fielding an ineligible player during their 2–1 win over Botswana and that they could face losing the 3 points and have the result reversed to a 3–0 defeat, as in line with FIFA sanctions. This would give South Africa an outside chance of qualifying for Brazil. Ethiopia later admitted to the error. On Tuesday, 19 June, it was reported in the South African press that Ethiopia had again fielded the same player against South Africa with the player still to serve his one-match ban and it might be possible that Ethiopia could face losing another 3 points to South Africa. Should this happen, South Africa would then qualify for the next round at the expense of Ethiopia.

South Africa failed to qualify. These were the final standings: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round

2014–2016

South Africa's first match under new coach, Ephraim Mashaba was a Group A qualifying match for AFCON 2015, played at Al-Merrikh Stadium against Sudan on 5 September 2014. South Africa won the match 3–0 with two goals from Sibusiso Vilakazi in the 55th and 61st minutes and a goal from Bongani Ndulula in the 78th minute. South Africa's second match in the AFCON qualifiers was a home match at Cape Town Stadium against Nigeria on 10 September. South Africa held off the defending AFCON champions for a 0–0 draw. Following these two matches, Bafana Bafana moved up two places to 67th in the FIFA world ranking.

South Africa then took on Congo at the Stade Municipal de Pointe-Noire on 11 October. The game was won 2–0 with goals from Bongani Ndulula and Tokelo Rantie in the second half. This victory brought South Africa to the top of Group A. Next was the return match in Polokwane's Peter Mokaba Stadium. The game ended in a 0–0 stalemate which kept South Africa at the top of the group. Following these two matches, South Africa climbed ten places in the FIFA rankings to no. 57.

Next up was the second match against Sudan on 15 November which was won 2–1, with goals from Thulani Serero in the 37th minute, and Tokelo Rantie in the 54th minute. The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, but it was moved to the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in honour of captain and goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa who was shot and killed two weeks prior to the game. Coach Ephraim Mashaba said the win was for the fallen hero, who had not conceded a goal in the four qualifiers he had played. The result sealed qualification for South Africa, with an away game versus Nigeria to spare. It was the first time since 2008 that Bafana managed to qualify for the tournament (in 2013 they qualified as hosts after Libya exchanged their rights for security reasons).

The last game of the qualifiers was on 19 November at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria. It ended 2–2, therefore eliminating Nigeria and denying them the chance to defend their crown at 2015 AFCON. The coach Ephraim Mashaba had earlier said that South Africa would not do Nigeria any favours. It showed in the way that the South Africans approached the match. Tokelo Rantie missed a sitter in the fourth minute when he fluffed his chance over the bar, but he made amends when he opened the scoring in the 42nd minute after a neat pass from Dean Furman. It looked as if South Africa would get their first competitive win over Nigeria when Rantie doubled his and his country's tally in the 48th minute. But it wasn't to be, as they failed to hold on for a historic win. Nigeria came back to draw 2–2 but it wasn't enough to secure Nigeria's qualification as Congo beat Sudan 1–0 to book their place at the tournament.

Under Mashaba, South Africa failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. This, in addition to the 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.

2017–2023: promising generation

After being unable to reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Africa had undergone a systematic reformation and transformation to regain its status as an African soccer power. The reformation of South African soccer was aided by the successful rise of its under-age soccer, including the U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams that all achieved some African successes and participated in World tournaments at their levels.

South Africa qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finishing second and undefeated, with a shock 2–0 away win over Nigeria. South Africa participated in the tournament grouped with Morocco, Ivory Coast and Namibia, and narrowly qualified to the knockout stage with only a single 1–0 win over Namibia and had to face host Egypt (which had Mohamed Salah), winners of AFCON seven times and had just qualified for Russia 2018 World Cup. The South Africans then pulled out the biggest upset in the tournament, knocking Egypt out in the round of 16 stage with a 1–0 win in Cairo. Then, South Africa once again faced Nigeria in the quarter-finals, but there was no further upset as Nigeria prevailed 2–1, but it was regarded as South Africa's best performance in the 2010s.

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.

Broos immediately set out to restructure the national team and the veteran players (Including captain Thulani Hlatshwayo) of the team were replaced with an exciting and young crop of players. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was named as the captain with Percy Tau being named as the vice-captain.

Broos' efforts led South Africa to put in a credible performance in the second round of African qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where South Africa were placed 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.

2024: Resurgence

In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations which was held in January 2024 at Côte d'Ivoire, Bafana Bafana was placed in Group E alongside Mali, Namibia and Tunisia. Nobody gave them a chance, especially because two of their star strikers, Lyle Foster and Lebo Mothiba, were to miss the tournament on account of mental health challenges and injury respectively. While they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Mali, Bafana Bafana went on to beat Namibia by 4-0 and drew 0-0 with Tunisia to secure a spot in the last 16 of the tournament. They were pitted against one of the tournament’s favourites, a star-studded Morocco which boasted the likes of Achraf Hakimi. In a highly intense match, Bafana Bafana put Morocco to the sword by 2-0 and booked their place in the quarterfinals, where they were to face Cape Verde which was surprisingly on a winning streak. The game against Cape Verde ended goalless and was decided on penalties. This was a defining moment for goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams, who saved three penalties and made himself a contender for Goalkeeper of the Tournament accolade which he ultimately won. Bafana Bafana beat Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties and proceeded to the semi-finals. They met Nigeria in the semi-finals; and the match ended 1-1. Unfortunately, they lost in the penalties. However, they redeemed themselves in the 3rd place play-off, where they secured a bronze medal against Democratic Republic of Congo. This was their best AFCON performance since the year 2000; and underscored the resurgence of Bafana Bafana as a continental powerhouse once again. With the goalkeeping prowess of Ronwen Williams; the midfield that has been patrolled by Teboho Mokoena and Sphephelo Sithole, as well as the silky displays of their veteran midfielder Themba Zwane, the resurgent Bafana Bafana has recently made things very difficult for every opponent they meet.

The match against Nigeria in the AFCON also proved to be the last defeat for Bafana Bafana, who have since then dominated their opponents. In the two 2026 World Cup Qualifiers played in 2024, Bafana Bafana has played to a 1-1 draw against Nigeria away; and successfully defeated Zimbabwe 3-1 in a fully packed stadium in Bloemfontein.

In the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers, Bafana Bafana was placed in Group K alongside Uganda, Congo and South Sudan. The first game against Uganda at home ended in a 2-all draw. In the second game, Bafana Bafana edged South Sudan 3-2 away; and went on to demolish Congo at home by 5-0. While Congo was able to hold them to a 1-1 draw in their second meeting, Uganda was not so lucky and succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Bafana Bafana. This placed Bafana Bafana at the summit of their group and guaranteed them qualification to the tournament. Their final match of the group was played on the 19th of November 2024 in a packed Cape Town Stadium against South Sudan, which stood no chance as Hugo Broos’ men ran riot and successfully dispatched them with a resounding 3-0 to close off the year 2024 on a high.

Team image

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.

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.

Home stadiums

First game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa vs Mexico4
First game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa vs Mexico at Soccer City

The South Africa national soccer 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 and Johannesburg Stadium in Johannesburg, Kings Park in Durban, Olympia Park in Rustenburg, Cape Town Stadium and Newlands Stadium in Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the EPRU Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Griqua Park in Kimberley, Jan Smuts Stadium and Buffalo City Stadium in East London, Odi Stadium in Mabopane, Mmabatho Stadium in Mafikeng, Atlantic Stadium in Witbank and Olen Park in Potchefstroom.

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 utilize two primary logos simultaneously on their jerseys.

Protea Emblem

The prominent Protea emblem, a national symbol of South Africa, particularly in the post-apartheid era, graces the right side of the jersey. This signifies the team's connection to the broader South African sporting landscape.

South African Football Association (SAFA) Badge

Located on the left side of the jersey, the SAFA badge typically features a star above it, commemorating the team's triumph in the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.

Tertiary Emblem

A less frequently used yet noteworthy emblem was introduced approximately a decade ago. This distinctive logo depicts two stars embodied as footballers on the pitch, offering a symbolic representation of the team's aspirations and achievements.

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.

Following the 1998 World Cup, the kits for all South African national soccer teams were supplied by German sports apparel company Adidas. The sponsorship deal is believed to be worth Rs 14 million per year. 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.

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.

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

Since June 2020, the official kit provider has been French sporting apparel company Le Coq Sportif.

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.

In 2022, Banxso became the official online trading partner for the team.

Kit provider Period
Italy Kappa 1992–1997
Germany Adidas 1998–2010
Germany Puma 2011–2013
United States Nike 2014–2020
France Le Coq Sportif 2020–present

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, and sometimes not shown matches.

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.

Results and fixtures

Main article: South Africa national soccer team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last twelve months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2024

Coaching staff

Position Staff
Technical Director South Africa Walter Steenbok
Team Manager South Africa Vincent Tseka
Head Coach Belgium Hugo Broos
Assistant Coach South Africa Helman Mkhalele
Goalkeeper Coach South Africa Grant Johnson
Team Organiser South Africa David Molwantwa

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
  • England Alan Rogers (1963)
  • England Jeff Butler (1992)
  • South Africa Stanley Tshabalala (1992)
  • South Africa Ephraim Mashaba (1992)
  • Peru Augusto Palacios (1992–93)
  • South Africa Clive Barker (1994–97)
  • South Africa Jomo Sono (1998)
  • France Philippe Troussier (1998)
  • South Africa Trott Moloto (1998–00)
  • Portugal Carlos Queiroz (2000–02)
  • South Africa Ephraim Mashaba (2001)
  • South Africa Trott Moloto (2002)
  • South Africa Jomo Sono (2002)
  • South Africa Ephraim Mashaba (2002–04, 2014–16)
  • South Africa Jomo Sono (2003)
  • South Africa April Phumo (2004)
  • Scotland Stuart Baxter (2004–05, 2017–19)
  • Romania Ted Dumitru (2005–06)
  • South Africa Pitso Mosimane (2006)
  • Brazil Carlos Alberto Parreira (2007–08, 2009–10)
  • Brazil Joel Santana (2008–09)
  • South Africa Pitso Mosimane (2010–12)
  • South Africa Steve Komphela (2012)
  • South Africa Gordon Igesund (2012–14)
  • South Africa Molefi Ntseki (2019–21)
  • South Africa Helman Mkhalele (2021)
  • Belgium Hugo Broos (2021–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against Congo on 11 and 14 October 2024.

Caps and goals correct as of 10 September 2024, after the match against South Sudan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ronwen Williams (captain) (1992-01-21) 21 January 1992 (age 33) 47 0 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
13 1GK Ricardo Goss (1994-04-02) 2 April 1994 (age 31) 5 0 South Africa SuperSport United
1GK Sipho Chaine (1996-12-14) 14 December 1996 (age 28) 1 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates
6 2DF Aubrey Modiba (1995-07-22) 22 July 1995 (age 29) 36 3 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
2 2DF Nyiko Mobbie (1994-09-11) 11 September 1994 (age 30) 27 0 South Africa Sekhukhune United
20 2DF Khuliso Mudau (1995-04-26) 26 April 1995 (age 30) 19 1 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
24 2DF Grant Kekana (1992-10-31) 31 October 1992 (age 32) 15 0 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
18 2DF Nkosinathi Sibisi (1995-09-22) 22 September 1995 (age 29) 12 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates
15 2DF Rushwin Dortley (2002-05-02) 2 May 2002 (age 23) 5 1 South Africa Cape Town Spurs
2DF Fawaaz Basadien (1996-12-23) 23 December 1996 (age 28) 1 0 South Africa Stellenbosch
2DF Thabiso Sesane (2000-05-30) 30 May 2000 (age 25) 0 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates
4 3MF Teboho Mokoena (1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 (age 28) 41 6 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
3MF Jayden Adams (2001-05-05) 5 May 2001 (age 24) 6 0 South Africa Stellenbosch
3MF Luke Le Roux (2000-03-10) 10 March 2000 (age 25) 5 0 Sweden IFK Värnamo
16 3MF Thalente Mbatha (2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 25) 2 2 South Africa Orlando Pirates
11 4FW Themba Zwane (1989-08-03) 3 August 1989 (age 35) 49 12 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
23 4FW Thapelo Morena (1993-08-06) 6 August 1993 (age 31) 31 2 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
9 4FW Lyle Foster (2000-05-09) 9 May 2000 (age 25) 17 5 England Burnley
5 4FW Iqraam Rayners (1995-12-19) 19 December 1995 (age 29) 11 3 South Africa Stellenbosch
7 4FW Oswin Appollis (2001-08-25) 25 August 2001 (age 23) 8 2 South Africa Polokwane City
17 4FW Elias Mokwana (1999-09-08) 8 September 1999 (age 25) 6 1 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis
10 4FW Relebohile Mofokeng (2004-10-23) 23 October 2004 (age 20) 3 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates
12 4FW Patrick Maswanganyi (1998-04-04) 4 April 1998 (age 27) 1 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates

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.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Veli Mothwa (1991-02-12) 12 February 1991 (age 34) 11 0 South Africa AmaZulu v.  South Sudan, 10 September 2024
GK Bruce Bvuma (1995-05-15) 15 May 1995 (age 30) 3 0 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
GK Melusi Buthelezi (1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 (age 27) 1 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Siyabonga Ngezana (1997-07-15) 15 July 1997 (age 27) 6 0 Romania FCSB v.  South Sudan, 10 September 2024
DF Thabang Matuludi (1999-01-14) 14 January 1999 (age 26) 3 0 South Africa Polokwane City 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Thabo Moloisane (1999-02-24) 24 February 1999 (age 26) 3 0 South Africa Stellenbosch 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Sirgio Kammies (1998-02-07) 7 February 1998 (age 27) 0 0 South Africa Chippa United 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Given Msimango (1997-05-04) 4 May 1997 (age 28) 0 0 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs v.  Zimbabwe, 11 June 2024
DF Siyanda Xulu (1991-12-30) 30 December 1991 (age 33) 32 1 South Africa SuperSport United v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
DF Terrence Mashego (1996-06-28) 28 June 1996 (age 28) 9 0 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
DF Tapelo Xoki (1995-04-10) 10 April 1995 (age 30) 1 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
DF Innocent Maela (1992-08-14) 14 August 1992 (age 32) 17 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024 PRE
DF Bradley Cross (2001-01-30) 30 January 2001 (age 24) 0 0 South Africa Golden Arrows v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024 PRE
DF James Monyane (2000-04-30) 30 April 2000 (age 25) 1 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Themba Mantshiyane (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28) 0 0 South Africa Golden Arrows 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Ime Okon (2005-02-20) 20 February 2005 (age 20) 0 0 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF Miguel Timm (1992-01-18) 18 January 1992 (age 33) 0 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Sphephelo Sithole (1999-03-03) 3 March 1999 (age 26) 21 0 Portugal Tondela v.  South Sudan, 10 September 2024
MF Ethan Brooks (2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 (age 24) 16 0 South Africa AmaZulu 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Malebogo Modise (1999-02-06) 6 February 1999 (age 26) 5 0 South Africa Chippa United 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Antonio van Wyk (2002-03-30) 30 March 2002 (age 23) 4 1 South Africa Chippa United 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Jaedin Rhodes (2003-04-11) 11 April 2003 (age 22) 3 0 South Africa Cape Town City 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Liam Bern (2003-03-06) 6 March 2003 (age 22) 2 0 South Africa Cape Town Spurs 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Sinoxolo Kwayiba (2000-02-15) 15 February 2000 (age 25) 2 0 South Africa Chippa United 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Brooklyn Poggenpoel (1999-10-03) 3 October 1999 (age 25) 1 0 South Africa Chippa United 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Mothobi Mvala (1994-06-14) 14 June 1994 (age 30) 26 1 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns v.  Zimbabwe, 11 June 2024
MF Bathusi Aubaas (1998-07-11) 11 July 1998 (age 26) 4 0 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns v.  Zimbabwe, 11 June 2024
MF Thabang Monare (1989-09-16) 16 September 1989 (age 35) 11 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
MF Grant Margeman (1998-06-03) 3 June 1998 (age 26) 5 1 South Africa SuperSport United v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
MF Goodman Mosele (1999-11-18) 18 November 1999 (age 25) 5 0 South Africa Chippa United v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
MF Sibongiseni Mthethwa (1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 30) 9 0 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
MF Mlungisi Mbunjana (1990-08-26) 26 August 1990 (age 34) 4 0 South Africa TS Galaxy 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Njabulo Blom (1999-12-11) 11 December 1999 (age 25) 2 0 United States St Louis City SC 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF Mduduzi Mdantsane (1994-12-13) 13 December 1994 (age 30) 2 0 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs v.  Ivory Coast, 17 October 2023
FW Thabang Sibanyoni (1996-01-08) 8 January 1996 (age 29) 9 2 South Africa University of Pretoria 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Ashley Cupido (2001-05-05) 5 May 2001 (age 24) 4 0 South Africa Cape Town Spurs 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Asanele Velebayi (2002-12-11) 11 December 2002 (age 22) 3 0 South Africa Cape Town Spurs 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Mfundo Thikazi (1999-06-23) 23 June 1999 (age 25) 2 0 South Africa Royal AM 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Devin Titus (2001-05-18) 18 May 2001 (age 24) 2 0 South Africa Stellenbosch 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Tshepang Moremi (2000-10-02) 2 October 2000 (age 24) 1 0 South Africa AmaZulu 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Yanela Mbuthuma (2002-02-23) 23 February 2002 (age 23) 0 0 South Africa Richards Bay 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Percy Tau (1994-05-13) 13 May 1994 (age 31) 50 16 Egypt Al Ahly v.  Zimbabwe, 11 June 2024
FW Mihlali Mayambela (1996-08-25) 25 August 1996 (age 28) 17 2 Cyprus Aris Limassol v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
FW Khanyisa Mayo (1998-08-27) 27 August 1998 (age 26) 7 0 South Africa Cape Town City v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
FW Mlondi Mbanjwa (1998-06-21) 21 June 1998 (age 26) 1 0 South Africa AmaZulu v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024
FW Evidence Makgopa (2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 24) 18 4 South Africa Orlando Pirates v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024 PRE
FW Thapelo Maseko (2003-11-11) 11 November 2003 (age 21) 8 1 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns v.  Algeria, 26 March 2024 PRE
FW Zakhele Lepasa (1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 28) 19 3 South Africa Orlando Pirates 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
FW Bongokuhle Hlongwane (2000-06-20) 20 June 2000 (age 24) 19 4 United States Minnesota United 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Lebo Mothiba (1996-01-28) 28 January 1996 (age 29) 18 4 France Strasbourg 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Monnapule Saleng (1999-03-13) 13 March 1999 (age 26) 12 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW Pule Mmodi (1993-02-23) 23 February 1993 (age 32) 3 0 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs v.  Eswatini, 13 October 2023PRE
FW Kobamelo Kodisang (1999-08-28) 28 August 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Portugal Moreirense v.  Eswatini, 13 October 2023PRE
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.

Past squads

Records

Players in bold are still active with South Africa.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Aaron Mokoena 107 1 1999–2010
2 Itumeleng Khune 91 0 2008–2018
3 Siphiwe Tshabalala 89 12 2006–2017
4 Siyabonga Nomvethe 82 16 1999–2012
5 Benni McCarthy 81 31 1997–2012
6 Shaun Bartlett 74 29 1995–2005
7 John Moshoeu 73 8 1992–2004
Bernard Parker 73 23 2007–2015
9 Delron Buckley 72 10 1999–2008
10 Lucas Radebe 70 2 1992–2003

Top goalscorers

BenniMcCarthy
Benni McCarthy is South Africa's top scorer with 31 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Benni McCarthy 31 81 0.39 1997–2012
2 Shaun Bartlett 29 74 0.38 1995–2005
3 Katlego Mphela 23 53 0.43 2005–2013
Bernard Parker 23 73 0.32 2007–2015
5 Phil Masinga 18 58 0.33 1992–2001
6 Percy Tau 16 50 0.32 2015–present
Siyabonga Nomvethe 16 82 0.2 1999–2012
8 Tokelo Rantie 13 41 0.32 2012–2017
Sibusiso Zuma 13 67 0.19 1998–2008
10 Themba Zwane 12 51 0.24 2014–present
Siphiwe Tshabalala 12 89 0.13 2006–2017

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Main article: South Africa at the 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. The team finished second in their group, behind Nigeria, who went on to play at the World Cup.

Their first appearance was in France 1998, six years after they had been readmitted to FIFA. 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 was expected to be an opportunity for Bafana Bafana to step up to the next level, but they were eliminated at the group stage despite 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.

The team failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup after finishing third in their qualifying group. Ghana won the group and progressed to the tournament, while Congo DR finished ahead of South Africa on head-to-head results. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, 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, on goal difference, for their second World Cup in a row and as the first host country to fail to advance past the group stage.

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to Chile 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
England 1966 Not admitted Not admitted
Mexico 1970 Banned Banned
Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 2 4
France 1998 Group stage 24th 3 0 2 1 3 6 8 6 1 1 11 3
South Korea Japan 2002 17th 3 1 1 1 5 5 8 7 1 0 13 3
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 10 5 1 4 12 14
South Africa 2010 Group stage 20th 3 1 1 1 3 5 Qualified as hosts
Brazil 2014 Did not qualify 6 3 2 1 12 5
Russia 2018 8 3 1 4 11 11
Qatar 2022 6 4 1 1 6 2
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 2 1 1 6 5
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 3/15 9 2 4 3 11 16 54 32 9 13 73 47

FIFA Confederations Cup

Main article: South Africa at the FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Banned
Saudi Arabia 1995 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1997 Group stage 8th 3 0 1 2 5 7 Squad
Mexico 1999 Did not qualify
South Korea Japan 2001
France 2003
Germany 2005
South Africa 2009 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 4 6 Squad
Brazil 2013 Did not qualify
Russia 2017
Total Fourth place 2/10 8 1 2 5 9 13 —

Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations record Africa Cup of Nations qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Qualified, later disqualified due to apartheid Disqualified due to Apartheid
United Arab Republic 1959 Banned due to apartheid Banned due to apartheid
Ethiopia 1962
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968
Sudan 1970
Cameroon 1972
Egypt 1974
Ethiopia 1976
Ghana 1978
Nigeria 1980
Libya 1982
Ivory Coast 1984
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990
Senegal 1992
Tunisia 1994 Did not qualify 6 1 2 3 5 10
South Africa 1996 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 11 2 Qualified as hosts
Burkina Faso 1998 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 2 1 9 6 Qualified as defending champions
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 8 6 6 3 2 1 10 5
Mali 2002 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 2 1 3 3 6 3 3 0 9 4
Tunisia 2004 Group stage 11th 3 1 1 1 3 5 4 3 1 0 6 1
Egypt 2006 16th 3 0 0 3 0 5 10 5 1 4 12 14
Ghana 2008 13th 3 0 2 1 3 5 6 3 2 1 10 4
Angola 2010 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 5 5
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 6 2 3 1 4 2
South Africa 2013 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 2 1 5 3 Qualified as hosts
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 3 6 6 3 3 0 9 3
Gabon 2017 Did not qualify 6 1 4 1 8 6
Egypt 2019 Quarter-finals 7th 5 2 0 3 3 4 6 3 3 0 11 2
Cameroon 2021 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 8 7
Ivory Coast 2023 Third place 3rd 7 2 4 1 7 3 4 3 1 0 7 3
Morocco 2025 Qualified 6 4 2 0 16 5
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2029
Total 1 Title 11/34 50 18 16 16 55 48 78 39 28 16 105 66
*Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

African Nations Championship

African Nations Championship
Appearances: 2
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Did not qualify
Sudan 2011 Quarter-finals 6th 4 3 0 1 6 4
South Africa 2014 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 5 5
Rwanda 2016 Did not qualify
Morocco 2018
Cameroon 2020
Algeria 2022
KenyaTanzaniaUganda 2024 To be determined
Total Quarter-finals 2/7 7 4 1 2 11 9

Head-to-head record

As of 19 November 2024 after match against  South Sudan

Opponent GP W D L GF GA GD win %
 Algeria 5 1 3 1 4 5 −1 25.00%
 Andorra 1 0 1 0 1 1 -0 0.00%
 Angola 15 8 6 1 18 10 +8 53.33%
 Argentina 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2 0.00%
 Australia 21 11 4 6 47 27 +20 52.38%
 Benin 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 100.00%
 Bolivia 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0.00%
 Botswana 17 12 6 0 28 9 +19 70.58%
 Brazil 5 0 0 5 3 12 −9 0.00%
 Bulgaria 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0.00%
 Burkina Faso 9 5 3 1 14 6 +8 55.56%
 Burundi 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 100.00%
 Cameroon 9 3 5 1 14 10 +4 33.33%
 Canada 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00%
 Cape Verde 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 33.33%
 Central African Republic 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 100.00%
 Chad 2 2 0 0 7 0 +7 100.00%
 Chile 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0.00%
 Colombia 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00%
 Congo 12 6 5 1 14 5 +9 50.00%
 Costa Rica 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 100.00%
 Czech Republic 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 0.00%
 Denmark 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 33.33%
 DR Congo 8 5 2 1 9 5 +4 71.43%
 Ecuador 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00%
 Egypt 12 7 1 4 11 8 +3 58.33
 England 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2 0.00%
 Equatorial Guinea 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 66.67%
 Swaziland 12 10 2 0 29 7 +22 83.33%
 Ethiopia 4 2 1 1 5 4 −1 50.00%
 France 4 1 1 3 3 11 −8 25.00%
 Gabon 4 3 0 1 10 3 +7 75.00%
 Gambia 2 1 1 0 4 0 0 50.00%
 Georgia 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 0.00%
 Germany 4 0 1 3 2 9 −7 0.00%
 Ghana 15 5 5 5 13 13 0 35.71
 Guatemala 2 1 1 0 6 1 +5 35.71
 Guinea 2 0 1 2 0 3 −3 0.00%
 Guinea-Bissau 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 100.00%
 Honduras 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0.00%
 Iceland 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 0.00%
 Indonesia 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 0.00%
 Iraq 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00%
 Israel 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00%
 Italy 2 0 0 2 0 3 −3 0.00%
 Ivory Coast 8 2 5 1 7 5 +2 25.00
 Jamaica 5 1 4 0 6 4 +2 20.00%
 Japan 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00%
 Kenya 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 75.00%
 Lesotho 13 7 4 2 22 10 +12 53.84
 Liberia 4 2 2 0 7 5 +2 50.00%
 Libya 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 50.00%
 Madagascar 6 4 2 0 5 0 +5 66.67%
 Malawi 14 9 4 1 20 5 +15 64.28%
 Mali 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 40.00%
 Malta 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00%
 Mauritania 2 0 1 1 2 4 −2 0.00%
 Mauritius 14 10 3 1 24 5 +19 71.42%
 Mexico 4 1 1 2 5 10 −5 25.00%
 Morocco 9 4 3 2 14 10 +4 37.50%
 Mozambique 8 6 2 0 17 6 +11 75.00%
 Namibia 12 7 4 1 22 9 +9 54.54%
 Netherlands 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 0.00%
 New Zealand 6 5 1 0 26 9 +17 83.00%
 Niger 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 50.00%
 Nigeria 17 2 7 8 12 27 −15 11.76%
 North Korea 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00%
 Northern Ireland 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 0.00%
 Norway 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 33.33%
 Panama 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0.00%
 Paraguay 4 1 3 0 7 4 +3 25.00%
 Poland 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 50.00%
 Portugal 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0.00%
 Republic of Ireland 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0.00%
 Rwanda 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0.00%
 Saudi Arabia 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 25.00%
 Scotland 2 1 0 1 2 1 +1 50.00%
 Senegal 10 2 4 4 10 13 −3 20.00%
 Serbia 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 0.00%
 Seychelles 3 2 1 0 9 0 +9 66.67%
 Sierra Leone 4 1 3 1 4 1 −1 0.00%
 Slovenia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00%
 São Tomé and Príncipe 2 2 0 0 6 2 +4 100.00%
 South Sudan 2 2 0 0 6 2 +4 100.00%
 Spain 4 1 0 3 5 8 −3 25.00%
 Sudan 4 3 0 1 6 1 +5 100.00%
 Sweden 2 1 0 1 1 3 −2 50.00%
 Tanzania 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 33.33%
 Thailand 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 100.00%
 Togo 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0%
 Trinidad and Tobago 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 50.00%
 Tunisia 7 2 2 3 7 9 −2 28.57%
 Turkey 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00%
 Uganda 7 5 2 0 13 8 +5 71.42%
 United Arab Emirates 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0.00%
 Uruguay 3 0 1 2 3 7 −4 0.00%
 United States 3 0 0 3 0 6 −6 0.00%
 Zambia 23 6 9 8 22 25 −3 26.09%
 Zimbabwe 16 8 2 6 27 16 +11 50.00%
Total 438 197 129 112 605 424 +181 44.97%

By Federation

Name Pld Win Draw Loss GF GA GD Win%
AFC 31 12 10 9 54 31 +23 40.00%
CAF 332 165 105 62 458 262 +198 49.69%
CONCACAF 20 6 8 6 26 27 -1 30.00%
CONMEBOL 19 3 6 10 18 30 -12 15.78%
OFC 6 5 1 0 26 9 +17 83.00%
UEFA 46 10 7 29 37 71 -34 21.73%
Total 454 204 136 114 622 430 +192 44.93%

Honours

Major competitions

Intercontinental

  • Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
    • 1 Champions (1): 1997

Continental

Regional

  • COSAFA Cup
    • Champions (5): 2002, 2007, 20081, 2016, 2021
    • Third place (4): 2000, 2005, 20091, 2013

Friendly

  • Four Nations Tournament
    • Champions (1): 2018

Awards

  1. In 2008 and 2009, SAFA sent a Development XI team to the COSAFA Cup. These matches thus do not count towards the senior national team's records.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Sudáfrica para niños

kids search engine
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South Africa national soccer team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.