The cat is finally out of the bag and Bafana Bafana will face Mexico, South Korea and the winners of the Uefa play-offs between North Macedonia, Ireland, Czech Republic and Denmark at the 2026 Fifa World Cup after the final draw was conducted at a glitzy event at the John F. Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts in Washington DC on Friday night.
The World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada. South Africa will face co-hosts Mexico in the opening ceremony match on June 11. It will be a repeat of the 2010 tournament when Bafana opened the World Cup against Mexico at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos achieved the unthinkable when he qualified South Africa for the World Cup for the first time since the 2002 tournament in Korea/Japan. Broos has turned the fortunes of Bafana around, and now they will have to go and prepare the team for the arduous World Cup after the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco in three weeks’ time.
The Safa delegation was led by president Danny Jordaan, Broos, Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka, Safa commercial & marketing manager Errol Madlala, travel & procurement manager Veronica Mokoena, and communications manager Mninawa Ntloko.
The glitzy, red-carpet event was hosted by Hollywood and TV celebrities Kevin Hart and supermodel Heidi Klum. The occasion was opened by the internationally acclaimed classical music superstar and icon Andrea Bocelli who serenaded the audience with his tenor.
USA president Donald Trump, his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were the VVIPs.
World-class musicians Robbie Williams and Lauren Hill were also part of the entertainment on the night, while Tom Cruise, Shaquille O’Neal, and Rio Ferdinand conducted the draw.
The who’s who of global football also graced the event, with the coaches of all 48 participating countries eager to find out who they will be facing come June 2026. Legends of the game, past and present were keen spectators as the draw was being conducted.
