2026 World Cup: South Africa’s 3 standout matches in the tournament

11.06.26 FT World Cup

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South Africa takes center stage tonight in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup as they face Mexico from 7 p.m. GMT. Here’s a look back at the three most memorable Bafana Bafana matches in the tournament’s history.

The nation of Nelson Mandela has featured in three World Cup finals tournaments (1998, 2002, and 2010), but has never made it past the group stage. Their record stands at 2 wins, 4 draws, and 3 defeats.

2002 World Cup: South Africa – Slovenia 1-0

After a forgettable campaign in 1998 (one draw and two losses against Denmark and France), South Africa had to wait until 2002 to notch their first-ever World Cup victory. It came against Slovenia, 1-0, on June 8 at the Daegu Stadium, thanks to a goal by Siyabonga Nomvethe (4’). The South Africans narrowly missed out on a place in the round of 16 due to an inferior goal difference compared to Paraguay.

2010 World Cup: Mexico – South Africa 1-1

This was a historic match, marking the very first World Cup fixture on African soil. The Bafana Bafana held Mexico to a 1-1 draw on June 11, 2010. Siphiwe Tshabalala opened the scoring for the hosts before Rafael Márquez equalized for Mexico in front of 84,490 spectators at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

2010 World Cup: South Africa – France 2-1

Bafana Bafana’s second-ever win at a World Cup finals. They defeated France 2-1, with goals from Bongani Khumalo (20') and Katlego Mphela (37'). Florent Malouda (70') pulled one back for Les Bleus. Despite the victory, it wasn’t enough to see the hosts through to the knockout stage of the tournament held on home soil.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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