South Africa’s 2026 World Cup Preparations Hit by Visa Chaos as Team Remains Grounded

South Africa’s football hopes of beginning their 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations in Mexico have been disrupted after visa delays prevented part of the squad and support staff from travelling as scheduled, triggering criticism from government officials and raising concerns ahead of the tournament.

The South African national football team, popularly known as Bafana Bafana, was due to depart on a charter flight to its training base in Pachuca, Mexico, on Sunday. However, the journey was postponed after several players and officials had not yet received the necessary travel documents.

The setback comes less than two weeks before South Africa’s opening World Cup match against co-hosts Mexico on June 11, marking the country’s first appearance at the tournament since hosting the competition in 2010.

South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, publicly criticised the situation, describing the visa problems as an embarrassment for the nation and unfair to players and coaching staff. He called for a full report into the matter and demanded accountability from those responsible.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) confirmed that visa-related challenges had prevented the team’s departure and said officials were working urgently to resolve the issue. The governing body added that preparations would continue in Johannesburg while travel arrangements were finalised.

An emergency meeting of SAFA officials was scheduled for Sunday evening as efforts intensified to secure the team’s departure.

Fresh Concerns After Qualification Drama

The latest administrative setback follows an earlier controversy during South Africa’s qualification campaign. The team narrowly avoided losing its place at the World Cup after fielding midfielder Teboho Mokoena while he was suspended, resulting in a victory over Lesotho being overturned. Despite the error, South Africa still finished ahead of Nigeria and Benin in their qualifying group.

Bafana Bafana have been drawn in Group A and will face Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea during the group stage.

With the countdown to the tournament now in its final days, South African supporters will be hoping the visa issues are resolved quickly so the team can focus on preparations rather than paperwork.