World Cup delegation held up as gamers await visa for Mexico, whom South Africa face within the opening sport in 11 days.
Printed On 31 Could 2026
The South African squad’s departure for the FIFA World Cup has been delayed attributable to a hold-up within the visas for Mexico, whom they face within the event’s opening sport in 11 days, the South African Soccer Affiliation (SAFA) has stated.
Bafana Bafana, as South Africa’s nationwide males’s soccer group is understood, had been scheduled to depart on a chartered flight from Johannesburg to Mexico Metropolis on Sunday morning, however remained grounded as visas for the cohost nation for some squad members had been delayed.
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“The South African senior males’s nationwide group has skilled challenges relating to visas for some gamers and officers, and consequently the group couldn’t journey to North America this morning as initially deliberate,” SAFA stated in a media launch.
Mexico will host South Africa within the World Cup’s opening sport on the Estadio Azteca on June 11.
“SAFA is working across the clock to make sure that the group travels to Mexico Metropolis as quickly as doable forward of the opening match,” it stated.
“We stay dedicated to making sure that the group’s preparations for the event stay on observe and, within the meantime, Bafana Bafana will proceed to coach in Johannesburg till departure.”
The squad was given a grand public sendoff in Johannesburg on Saturday earlier than their first look within the event since internet hosting it in 2010, however the flight from OR Tambo airport to Mexico Metropolis was postponed.
SAFA stated it had known as an emergency committee assembly in a while Sunday to debate the difficulty following a vociferous condemnation from Sports activities Minister Gayton McKenzie, who termed it “embarrassing and grossly unfair”.
“We’re being made to seem like fools,” McKenzie stated on social media platform X.
South Africa will heat up for the World Cup with a pleasant towards Jamaica on June 5. After taking up the cohosts of their opening group conflict, they meet Czechia on June 18 and South Korea on June 24.
Hugo Broos introduced his 26-man squad on Wednesday, which included two uncapped gamers.
Amid hypothesis concerning the visa bungle, a number of social media customers questioned why the group paraded in Johannesburg earlier than their departure if group officers had been conscious that gamers had not been issued visas but.
South Africa should not the primary group to run right into a visa-related logistical situation on the World Cup.
Members of Iran’s World Cup squad have additionally not been issued visas for the US, the place they play their opening sport towards New Zealand on June 15 and two different group matches thereafter.
Based on Iranian state media stories on Saturday, FIFA has knowledgeable the Soccer Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) vice chairman Mahdi Mohammadnabi that administrative work is in progress and the visas shall be issued this week.
FFIRI president Mehdi Taj stated on Wednesday that he anticipated the US to issue multiple-entry visas for the World Cup delegation because the group will journey in and overseas for his or her matches.
Iran relocated its group’s base camp from Arizona, US, to Mexico final week.
