Minister for Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said on Sunday night that Bafana Bafana’s players all now had their US visas and would depart for the 2026 Fifa World Cup on Monday, a day later than initially scheduled.
Bafana delayed
Bafana were set to jet off to their training base in Pachuca, Mexico on Sunday morning, but were unable to fly as it emerged that due to an administrative issue, several players did not have the required paperwork to travel.
“All @BafanaBafana players received their visas to travel to the USA, outstanding is assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and one analyst. The charter will leave tomorrow,” tweeted McKenzie on Sunday evening.
It remains unclear who was responsible for the visa debacle, though the spotlight immediately fell once more on controversial Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka.
Tseka was heavily criticised for his involvement in Bafana’s fielding of midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a Fifa World Cup qualifier in over a year ago, when the Sundowns man was supposed to be suspended.
The incident ended up almost costing Bafana a place at the World Cup, as that game was ultimately awarded by Fifa to Lesotho as a 3-0 win.
Safa issued a statement on the visa issue on Saturday.
‘SAFA is working around the clock’
“The South African Football Association (SAFA) wishes to update the nation on Bafana Bafana’s travel plans to Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” read the statement.
“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 this morning 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.
“SAFA will have an Emergency Committee Meeting this evening (Sunday, 31 May 2026) and a further update will be communicated to the nation after its conclusion.”
