The popularity of the global game of football (aka soccer) continues to be unrivalled. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you are looking at Europe, the Americas or Africa, people just love playing and watching the sport. That’s definitely so in South Africa where the game is loved by millions. There are many sports that are loved by South Africans. They are the current holders of the Rugby World Cup and this year reached the final of the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup. However, football is the sport that so many South Africans follow and love to play.
12 stadiums have a capacity of over 40,000. The largest is the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg which has a capacity of just over 94,000 and hosted the 2010 World Cup final. Betting on football is incredibly popular in South Africa. When placing soccer bets online, fans don’t just wager on matches being played domestically within the country, but on teams all around the globe. For example, the English Premier League and other top European competitions and of course the World Cup.
While there has been tremendous success achieved in rugby union and cricket, that hasn’t been the case in football. They are currently 57th in the FIFA world rankings and that makes them the tenth highest ranked side in Africa. The World Cup is so important for footballing nations. It was in 2010 that the greatest moments in the history of South African football took place. That was the year in which they staged the World Cup. President Mandela led the campaign for the country to become the first African nation to host the tournament. He spoke about how important the sport was to his life while spending all those years in jail. Mandela said that playing football within those prison walls “made us feel alive and triumphant despite the situation we found ourselves in.” You can just imagine the joy he felt when lifting the World Cup after the decision to have the tournament in South Africa was confirmed.
Unfortunately, their football team didn’t get the chance to play in the final. They were knocked out in the group stage in what was only their third appearance in the Finals. Only Uruguay beat them, and the South Africans finished in third place after a famous 2-1 win over France. The side nicknamed ‘Bafana Bafana’ (the boys) haven’t qualified for the World Cup finals since then. That could all change in the near future though. The qualifying rounds are currently taking place for the 2026 tournament. Making it through to the finals will provide a huge boost for football in South Africa. They are in a tight battle at present with Rwanda, Benin and Lesotho and are second in their group. Winning the group will take them through to the finals with second place taking them into the play-offs.
This year saw them host the COSAFA Cup for the seventh successive year. 12 African nations participated, and South Africa went through the tournament unbeaten. However, they were pipped by Mozambique in their group. It’s a competition they have won on five previous occasions though and one that South African fans look forward to seeing each year.
Last year saw the South African side make it to the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations. Only a penalty shootout saw them beaten by Nigeria. Another shootout took place in the third/fourth play-off but this time they won it against DR Congo. Finishing third was their best performance since the year 2000.
South Africa has players taking part in leagues all over the world. One of their best players is Percy Tau and the striker plays for Al Ahly in Saudi Arabia. In England, Burnley fans will be familiar with the talent of Lyle Foster. Bongokuhle Hlongwane plays for Minnesota United in the USA. The vast majority of their international players play in the South African Premier Division.
This was formed in 1996 and is contested by 16 teams from around the county. It’s been dominated by Mamelodi Sundowns who have won 14 titles. They are the reigning champions and that victory made it seven successive titles for them. The 2023-24 title race was not exactly the most competitive ever seen in South Africa. Mamelodi only lost one of their 30 league games and won the title by 23 points.
The final game of the season was a disappointing one for the Sundowns. They had the chance to go through the season unbeaten but lost 1-0 at home to Cape Town City. That was one of only 11 league goals they conceded last season. Their top league scorer was Lucas Costa with 12. He wasn’t the top goal scorer though. That honour went to Tshegofatso Mabasa of the Orlando Pirates with 16 goals. The Pirates finished a distant second in the table just ahead of Stellenbosch who they trailed going into the final game of the season. Sides such as Sekhukhune, Cape Town City. Kaizer Chiefs and Supersport United need to raise their levels next season to avoid another title win for Mamelodi. There has been a recent financial blow though with the loss of their sponsor.
In the CAF Champions League, the Sundowns haven’t been able to dominate so much. Their only success came eight years ago. Last season saw them beaten by Esperance Tunis in the semi-finals. Next year will see them taking part in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup. The only other South African success was way back in 1995 when the Kaizer Chiefs won the title.
Football remains a sport that South Africans love to follow whether it be nationally or globally - and long may it remain that way.
