The South African Football Association (SAFA) has offered an apology to the nation following Bafana Bafana’s failure to travel to the Americas for the FIFA World Cup.
Bafana Bafana were due to leave on Sunday morning, but were unable to do so due to an “administrative bungle” by SAFA. It was established that players and officials did not have their visas. Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie lashed out, stating South Africa is “made to look like fools” and demanded answers from the Association.
As things stand, the matter has been resolved, and Bafana Bafana will depart for Mexico today after visas were secured for all the players on Sunday, 31 May.
“SAFA apologises to the nation for these unexpected travel delays and would like to thank the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for their assistance, as well as the US Consulate in Johannesburg who went beyond their call of duty over the weekend to ensure that the visas were issued for all our players to travel,” stated SAFA on Monday morning.
“SAFA held an Emergency Committee Meeting on Sunday night and a number of issues around the South African senior men’s national team’s delayed travel plans to Mexico were discussed by the members. It was revealed in the meeting that the only outstanding visas are for four members of the camp, however SAFA is working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that they also board the flight to North America.
“To strengthen operational coordination during the FIFA World Cup, SAFA can further reveal that a three-member organising committee has been established to manage the team’s administrative affairs during the 2026 FIFA World Cup comprising of: Bafana Bafana Head of Delegation (HOD) David Molwantwa, SAFA Chairperson of the Finance Committee Mxolisi Sibam together with the Team Manager Vincent Tseka.”
SAFA added, “The three will work together in ensuring that any logistical or administrative matters that may arise during the global tournament are dealt with expeditiously. While the visa delays resulted in the team losing a valuable day in its travel and preparation schedule, SAFA is satisfied that the matter has now been substantially resolved and that the team’s World Cup plans remain firmly on course.”
This year’s FIFA World Cup will be hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026.
