FIFA World 2026: South Africa blocked by visas
Last-minute imbroglio for the Bafana Bafana. While they were supposed to fly to their Mexican base camp less than two weeks before the start of the 2026 World Cup, a visa issue for several staff members forced the postponement of their trip. A negligence that arouses strong anger at the top of the State.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
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The South Africans’ preparation schedule has just been severely curtailed. Expected this Sunday, May 31 on the tarmac of Johannesburg to fly to North America, the delegation of Bafana Bafana was forced to review its plans urgently. At issue: a major administrative failure during the visa application process for Mexican territory.
If the players on the roster all had their travel permissions, the situation turned out to be very different for the technical supervision. The assistant coach, the official selection doctor, the security manager, and the video analyst did not receive their valuable passes on time. Faced with the impossibility of traveling without these logistical and medical pillars, the South African Football Association (SAFA) had no choice but to cancel the initial flight.
The outburst of the Minister of Sports in the face of SAFA’s "amateurism"
The case quickly went beyond a purely sports context to become a political crisis. Informed of this dysfunction at the dawn of a major international deadline, the Minister for Sports, Gayton McKenzie, has publicly expressed his indignation in the face of what he describes as serious negligence.
"This logistical failure caused by the federation is an absolute disgrace, totally unfair for the athletes and the management,"
hammered the government representative. "I demanded immediate explanations from the SAFA. Sanctions will be taken, because this amateurism makes our country a laughing stock internationally.”
To limit the impact on sports, a crisis unit made it possible to reschedule a new charter flight this Monday, June 1st, while the missing consular files were regularized. While waiting for the green light, coach Hugo Broos and his men had to improvise local work sessions.
Race against the clock before the clash with Mexico
This delay in the ignition comes at the worst of times for South Africa, which is making its comeback in the world tournament after more than two decades of absence in the final phase of a World Championship. Immersed in a particularly tough but homogeneous Group A, the South Africans are entering their competition with the biggest challenge of their first round.
The Bafana Bafana will indeed face Mexico, co-host country, in the opening match on 11 June in the overheated antre of the Azteca stadium. They will then face the Czech Republic on June 18 in Atlanta, before closing this pool phase against South Korea on June 24 in Monterrey.
In a competition where acclimatization and physical details are crucial, these precious adaptation days lost at home could weigh heavily on the balance.