The South African national football team have defied the logic of the global spreadsheets and analysts and all soccer pundits combined by doing the unthinkable and probably the biggest upset of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to date. They ripped up the betting books and made a mockery of the so-called bookies. Against every cynical prediction, our national men’s soccer team, Bafana Bafana, have marched into the Round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup. For a nation that has spent years navigating footballing doldrums, watching Hugo Broos’s men claim their rightful place on the world stage is nothing short of a sporting miracle.
But as the world tunes in, this tournament represents something far bigger than ninety-minute matches. This is the world’s first truly digital, AI-driven World Cup spectacle, and Africa is maximising every single byte of global attention. We owe a debt of gratitude to FIFA for expanding the tournament to feature 10 African nations. This isn’t just about publicity; it is a monumental milestone for development and exposure. It ensures that millions of viewers remain glued to their screens, witnessing African talent in high-definition, while accelerating the commercial and technological footprint of football across the continent. What better time to do it than at a time when a talismatic current sitting CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe is guiiding administrating African football back to its glory days.
Yet, as I watch these brave young men write their names into the history books, I am struck by a profound sense of nostalgia—and a sharp pang of frustration.
We find ourselves 16 years post the historic 2010 FIFA World Cup on South African soil. It was a moment of unparalleled national pride, yet many of the grand promises made in 2010 have not been fully relished. The famous World Cup Legacy Fund, intended to be a perpetual engine for grassroots growth, has felt more like a myth than a reality for thousands of aspiring youngsters in our townships. Most tragically, South Africa no longer enjoys the fruits of institutions like the specialized School of Excellence—an academy that once systematically produced world-class footballers who went on to mesmerize global audiences. We replaced a conveyor belt of elite talent with administrative inertia.
And yet, watching Bafana Bafana battle their way through the group stages reminds me that not all is lost. The foundation is still there, waiting to be reclaimed. The world-class infrastructure and majestic stadia from 2010 remain standing as monuments to what we are capable of achieving.
More importantly, our intellectual football capital is unmatched. We possess a wealth of knowledge embodied in legends and modern tacticians alike. We have the irreplaceable experience of the Jomo Sonos, the Pitso Mosimanes, and the timeless wizardry of Doctor Khumalo. We boast a proud lineage of elite exports who carried our flag to the highest echelons of global football—icons like Lucas “Rhoo” Radebe, Mark Fish, Neil Tovey, and Bradley Carnell, Duisa Ngobe, John Shoes Moshoeu, John Moeti alongside the sharp modern minds of Fadlou Davids, Rhulani Mokoena, and Arthur “10111” Zwane. The DNA of greatness is encoded in our footballing history.
For me, this current run evokes powerful memories of the golden era. I think back to the legendary 1996 squad that conquered African continent at AFCON by winnning 2-0 against Tunisia. This year marked 30 years since those days where Bafana were untouchable domestically. I was barely ten years old at the time, wide-eyed and captivated, watching the late, great Phil Masinga and the flying “Midnight Express” Helman Mkhalele don the beautiful South African jersey, with the towering Andre Arendse keeping guard in goal. I remember how the legendary late coach Clive Barker marshaled his boys, instilling a belief that carried them all the way to France in 1998. That was a golden era of SA’s finest defying the odds, playing with a flair and joy that captured the imagination of the world.
Today, Hugo Broos’s boys are channeling that exact same spirit. They have ignored the critics and earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as our historical greats.
The best gift we can collectively give this team right now is to shed our collective skepticism and support them like there is no tomorrow. They have done their part on the pitch; now, the ultimate test falls on our football administrators. SAFA and our sports administrators and the stakehollders of the beautiful game must use this incredible momentum to propel Bafana Bafana back to the number-one spot in Africa in the years to come.
We need structural reform, revived youth academies, and visionary leadership to ensure this isn’t a flashing moment that will soon in the future be a memory that lingers in the past but gets transferred to the future. We must build a sustainable pipeline so that we stand a better chance to represent the continent with pride at the 2030 showdown a historic milestone where this wonderful competition we call the FIFA World Cup celebrates 100 years of sheer brilliance and magic on the field of play.
Whether that future takes our boys to the grand stage of Morocco’s Casablanca Stadium or to feel the vibrant rhythm of the Spanish guitar at the Bilbao Stadium, one thing is certain: the journey starts now.
To the boys wearing the jersey today: you have defied the odds and made us believe again. The nation is behind you.
Go Bafana Bafana! Ndizani Bafana Baka Broos!
