Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams boarding to Mexico. (Bafana Bafana/X)
Another year, another South African Football Association (Safa) admin headache.
Bafana Bafana’s trip to Mexico for their final 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations has been delayed by visa issues, disrupting what should be a feel-good moment. It’s South Africa’s first trip to the World Cup since hosting in 2010.
The timing is not ideal. Every lost day matters when the team is preparing in unfamiliar conditions ahead of appearing on football’s biggest stage.
Instead of focusing on the football, fans are once again asking whether Safa’s off-field problems are starting to trip Bafana up on the pitch.
The visa fiasco
Bafana Bafana were meant to leave for Pachuca, Mexico, on Sunday to set up their World Cup training base. Instead, they were stuck at home after a visa mess delayed part of the travelling group.
According to the SABC, at least 20 members of the contingent could not travel because their visas were still being processed at the United States embassy in Johannesburg. Not exactly the pre-World Cup send-off fans had in mind.
The team eventually departed on Monday, but by then the damage was done. The delay had already attracted international attention and raised fresh questions about Safa’s planning.
The bigger frustration is that this feels familiar. South African football fans have seen too many moments in which Bafana’s progress on the pitch is forced to share space with Safa’s problems off it.
Mokoena suspension mess
Case in point: the was the Teboho Mokoena saga. The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder was fielded against Lesotho in a World Cup qualifier despite being suspended after picking up two yellow cards in earlier matches.
Bafana won that game 2-0, but Fifa later overturned the result to a 3-0 defeat and docked South Africa three points. That is not a small admin “oopsie”: it’s the kind of mistake that can derail a qualifying campaign.
The blame landed on team manager Vincent Tseka, whose job included tracking player eligibility and suspensions. Reports claimed Tseka had gone to fetch ice when Mokoena picked up the second yellow card. If true, that is a painfully South African detail: World Cup hopes nearly undone by an ice run.
The latest visa blunder has now raised a bigger question: If these mistakes keep happening, what happens when the next one carries an even higher cost?
Previous controversies
The pattern goes back further. In 2022, Safa was criticised after failing to secure a training venue for Bafana ahead of friendlies against Sierra Leone and Botswana, reportedly leaving coach Hugo Broos frustrated.
The problems have not affected only the men’s team. In June 2025, Banyana Banyana players reportedly downed tools in Morocco before the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations over a financial dispute with Safa about payments and contracts.
The criticism has now reached government level. Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Peace Mabe, has called for accountability over repeated administrative failures. Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie was just as blunt after the visa delays, calling the situation embarrassing and unfair to the players.
Impact on preparations
You would expect a mess like this to rattle the players. Preparing for a World Cup is already stressful enough without adding embassy admin to the warm-up routine.
But Safa president Danny Jordaan insists the visa delay has not disrupted the squad. He says Bafana have enough experience to move past the setback and stay focused.
In fact, Jordaan believes the drama could even motivate the team. Which is one way to spin it. Another is that Bafana should not need travel chaos to unlock tournament mode.
What happens next
Safa says it has now set up a three-member committee to handle Bafana’s World Cup admin. The group includes head of delegation David Molwantwa, finance committee chairperson Mxolisi Sibam, and Tseka. Let’s hope he doesn’t have to make another run at a crucial moment.
The aim is simple: tighten the paperwork, improve coordination and avoid another disruption when the tournament begins. Given recent events, that feels less like over-planning and more like the bare minimum.
Luckily for Bafana, the delay lasted only a day, with the team eventually leaving for Mexico on Monday afternoon. The focus now shifts back to football, starting with a friendly against Jamaica on Friday before South Africa opens their World Cup campaign against Mexico next week.
This article and video were published in partnership with explain.co.za, accessible news for busy people.