The South African Football Association (SAFA) has admitted that Bafana Bafana have experienced visa challenges ahead of their departure for the FIFA World Cup finals.
Coach Hugo Broos and his boys were due to take a chartered flight to Mexico on Sunday, but they are still in South Africa.
In a statement on Sunday afternoon, SAFA said: “The South African senior men’s national team has experienced challenges regarding visas for some players and officials and as a result the group could not travel to North America as originally planned.
“SAFA is working around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible ahead of the opening match of the global tournament against the hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, 2026. We remain committed to ensuring that the team’s preparations for the tournament remain on track and in the meantime, Bafana Bafana will continue to train in Johannesburg until departure.”
The statement further said that SAFA will hold an emergency vommittee meeting on Sunday evening. Another update is going to be communicated after the meeting.
The 2026 World Cup tournament is going to co-hosted by the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico from Thursday, 11 June until Sunday, 19 July. Bafana are in Group A together with co-hosts Mexico, Czechia and Korea Republic.
