Around this time 15 years ago, the entire nation was getting very excited about hosting the first-ever – and to this date, the only – FIFA World Cup to be held in Africa. Although Bafana Bafana ultimately exited after the group stage, becoming the first home team to ever achieve that feat, there are still plenty of happy memories from that time for the country’s football fans.
It is almost unbelievable that South Africa has not qualified for a finals since that time. Part of the reason for that is that competition is fierce across the continent – and that FIFA has historically offered only a few berths to African nations. With the tournament expanding in 2026, there would seem to be more chance than ever before.
Even then, the qualifying format has been very tough and the Bodog sportsbook – along with other bookmakers – will not have offered much incentive in backing South Africa to make the finals before the qualifying games began. Now, with just two games to go, Bafana Bafana leads the group and needs to win just one to guarantee a place.
We thought now would be the perfect time to look back at South Africa’s history of World Cup football – and what we might expect from the 2026 tournament.
World Cup 2026 Qualification
Although the next World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico will be the largest ever, there is only one nation from each CAF group guaranteed of a place. With Nigeria, Benin, and Rwanda all competing for that spot – alongside the weaker nations of Lesotho and Zimbabwe – it has been far from being an anxiety-free campaign.
However, since a defeat to Rwanda on match day two, South Africa has looked to be in control. The draw away in Nigeria set the tone for the campaign and while Bafana Bafana recorded more victories, its rivals have faltered. The most recent international break saw South Africa held by Nigeria in Bloemfontein, but it still leads the group by three points with two winnable games to play in October.
First Finals Appearance
Absent from the World Cup finals for 15 years and counting, the current squad will become instant national heroes if they make it to the 2026 tournament. But they will only be following in the footsteps of others. The first South Africa team to represent the country at this most prestigious of international tournaments was in 1998.
After hosting – and winning – the 1996 AFCON, South Africa beat Malawi in a two-legged knockout tie before topping a group including Congo, Zambia, and DR Congo. These trailblazers opened up their tournament with a 3-0 loss to hosts and eventual winners, France, before two spirited draws against Denmark and Saudi Arabia. That could only claim third place in the group, however, and the first World Cup finals team departed at the group stage.
Back Again
South Africa continued to be one of the powerhouses of African football at the turn of the century, with more credible displays at AFCON and qualification, again, for the World Cup in 2002. With still only five berths available, South Africa beat Lesotho in the knockout tie before getting past Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, and Malawi to qualify.
Hopes were high, as the caliber of players was stronger than ever. The tournament in Japan and South Korea started brightly, with a draw against Paraguay and a first-ever finals win over Slovenia. A 3-2 loss to Spain in the final game left South Africa tied on points with Paraguay, but the team missed out on progression due to the fact that Bafana Bafana scored one goal fewer than their Central American rivals.
Host Nation Party
Results took a turn for the worse after the 2002 World Cup and the team’s FIFA ranking plummeted. But with FIFA awarding South Africa the right to host the 2010 tournament, a newfound purpose was found and every effort was put into developing a squad that would be able to compete against the very best on the biggest stage.
There were further poor performances in the years running up to the 2010 finals before a string of pre-tournament victories over weaker teams finally instilled some confidence. The draw for the opening stage was not kind, however, with Bafana Bafana grouped with France, Uruguay, and Mexico.
Siphiwe Tshabalala went down in history by scoring the first goal of the tournament, as South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico, to wild celebrations in the stadium and across the country. A 3-0 defeat to surprise team Uruguay in the next game meant that it all came down to the final round of matches. South Africa famously beat France 2-1, but Uruguay could only beat Mexico 1-0, meaning that those two went through.
On the Global Stage
Now, South Africa stands on the cusp of global recognition once again. There were familiar struggles following that last World Cup appearance, interspersed with relative success. Bafana Bafana made it to the quarterfinals of AFCON on two occasions before surprising a lot of people by finishing third at the 2023 edition.
South Africa was a fair way off making it to the 2014 and 2018 finals, and then missed out by one goal in progressing to the final qualifying knockout round for World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Now, the players and coaches hold qualification for 2026 in their own hands, with just three more points needed from two games. With players performing in top leagues around the world – and a healthy number of the squad plying their trade here in South Africa – Bafana Bafana has the opportunity to show everyone just how good it is. Just one more win and the entire nation can prepare to get behind the team at the biggest tournament of them all.