About South Africa national men's football team
The South Africa national men's football team is the national football team of South Africa. Its nickname "Bafana Bafana" derives from the Nguni language of Southern Africa, meaning "boys" or "lads," and is now an affectionate term used by South African fans for their national team. After the South African Football Association (SAFA) rejoined FIFA in 1992, the team re-emerged on the international football stage and claimed its first major trophy by winning the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on home soil.
Current Situation
Following their 1996 AFCON triumph, South Africa achieved another breakthrough at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations: they defeated Namibia 4-0 in the group stage on January 22, drew 0-0 with Tunisia on January 25 to qualify as group runners-up; beat Morocco 2-0 in the knockout stage on January 31, advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties on February 4; after losing 5-3 on penalties to Nigeria in the semi-finals, they secured the third place by beating the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 6-5 on penalties in the third-place play-off on February 11. In the 2026 FIFA World Cup CAF Qualifiers, despite being penalized with a 3-0 defeat to Lesotho and deducted 3 points for fielding the suspended player Thabiso Mokoena on March 21, 2025, South Africa maintained their qualification contention as group runners-up. They ultimately defeated Rwanda 3-0 in the final round of Group C in October 2025, edging out Nigeria by 1 point to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in 15 years.
