Safa’s commercial and marketing manager Errol Madlala has unpacked the ticketing procedure that will be utilized at the upcoming Fifa World Cup in June next year. Bafana Bafana supporters may have to fork out in the region of R40 000 for a ticket for the opening match against Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada and acquiring tickets for the tournament has been a little intricate and complex for ordinary football followers. Bafana have qualified after missing out on the last three World Cups and there is huge interest from supporters.
South Africa will face Mexico in the opening ceremony match at the imposing and intimidating Azteca Stadium 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.
“We as Safa must find a way to articulate the Fifa World Cup ticketing process, it’s not like in local football where you take your money and just buy a ticket. If you have been attending the last couple of World Cups, you will know there is a registration process managed by Fifa, at which anyone has to apply through that system,” Madlala told the media this week.
“We must make sure the ticketing process is clear to South Africans – so that those who have an interest and means, can find a way to get tickets. I know there have been challenges with Visa applications, we have inquired with CAF and we are waiting for feedback.
“Earlier in the year, Fifa would have released the first phase of ticketing which drew a lot of interest globally. The second phase of tickets will start this week until January 15. Fans of the playing countries will get a preference. In those discussions with Fifa, we wanted to get direct access to those tickets. In the first match, SA v Mexico, the demand will be very high, and tickets will be snapped up very quickly,” Madlala added.
For Bafana’s opening encounter against Mexico, Category 3 tickets will start at $1000 (R17 000), Category 2 for $1,705 (R28 500), with Category 1 going for $2,365 (R40 000).
Safa also released a statement and explained that the world football governing body Fifa has added another layer of supporter tickets for participating nations’ fans.
“The pricing for these tickets will start at $60.00 (R1020) in this supporter sales phase and it will close on January 13 2026 where all requested tickets will be allocated via a lottery system as it was the case in previous tournaments. This phase allows participating team fans to purchase tickets to a dedicate area and sit together. This means Bafana Bafana fans can bring the noise to the Mexicans just they did in 2010 in South Africa,” reads the Safa statement.
For South Africans looking to be part of the biggest sporting event in the world, they need to have a Fifa ID that is made available by the world football governing.
Safa has the Access Codes and will share those who have a Fifa ID and a valid South African passport. They will then be able to order their tickets on the Fifa website using their Fifa ID. Each Safa FAN CODE allows South African fans to buy up to 4 tickets per match in the group stages.
According to the statement, the possible matches in the knockout phase are also available for fans to purchase should Bafana progress all the way to the finals. And should Bafana get knocked out, the South African allocated tickets will be refunded by Fifa.
“After 13 January 2026, fans will be notified of their ticket allocation via the lottery, and they will need to make the payments before 2 February 2026. The Bafana players, coach Hugo Broos and the staff are all looking forward to seeing South African fans in the stands during the tournament – whether they travel from South Africa or from other parts of the world – and create a vibe in Mexico City, Atlanta and Monterrey in the tournament group stages,” reads a statement from Safa.
Fans can also visit www.SAFA.net and see all the information on the FanZone page.
How can fans purchase tickets?
- Register with FIFA for your FIFA ID (FIFA.com is the ONLY authorised platform) – fifa-fwc26-us.tickets.fifa.com↗
- REGISTER & REQUEST YOUR RSA FAN CODE FROM SAFA FAN CLUB (A valid SA passport is required) – https://mailchi.mp/safa.net/safa-fanclub
- USE YOUR SAFA CODE ON YOUR FIFA ID ACCOUNT TO ORDER YOUR TICKETS BEFORE 13 JANUARY 2026 WITHIN THE SAFA SUPPORTER PHASE
- WAIT FOR NOTIFICATION OF ALLOCATED TICKETS VIA YOUR FIFA ID ACCOUNT
- PAY FOR TICKETS BEFORE 02 FEBRUARY 2026
Fan Club hotline email address for enquiries is: fanclub@safa.net
