Author: Lehlohonolo Scheepers

South Africa’s next generation of cricketers suffered a frustrating four-day defeat in Worcester on Tuesday, as England Lions chased down 147 with six wickets in hand to take the opening match of the series against South Africa A at Blackfinch New Road. The Proteas A side were bowled out for 146 in 31.3 overs, setting a target that ultimately proved well within the Lions’ reach. England’s top order navigated the chase with relative comfort, reaching 148 for four in 28.1 overs to seal a convincing six-wicket victory. It was a result that will sting the South African management, particularly given…

South Africa A served up one of the most dominant one-day performances you are likely to see this summer, chasing down 199 against England Lions without losing a single wicket at Blackfinch New Road in Worcester on Sunday. A target of 199 was always going to be manageable on a good batting surface, but to knock it off in just 30.3 overs with all ten wickets intact was something altogether special. Flawless Chase at Worcester England Lions posted what looked like a competitive 198, bowled out in 47.1 overs. Their innings had enough substance to suggest South Africa A would…

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is nearly upon us, and for South African football fans, there is one fixture above all others that has the nation holding its breath. Bafana Bafana step onto the grandest stage in world football when they face Mexico in the host city of Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June, kicking off at 21:00. It is a moment years in the making, a return to the World Cup for South Africa, and the anticipation back home is electric. Bafana’s Big Moment South Africa face a Mexico side that will be playing in front of a passionate…

South Africa’s FIFA World Cup campaign has officially begun after Bafana Bafana arrived in Pachuca, Mexico, ahead of the 2026 tournament. The delegation touched down at their designated base camp following a long journey from Johannesburg, marking the start of what the nation hopes will be a memorable return to football’s biggest stage. The arrival in Mexico represents a significant milestone for South African football. Having qualified for the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, Bafana Bafana now have the opportunity to test themselves against the world’s best teams on the global stage. A…

Never before have 10 African nations qualified for a FIFA World Cup. In 2026, they did. It took two years, 54 nations, nine groups of qualifying football, a single-location playoff in Morocco, and one final intercontinental showdown, and the nations who made it earned every single ticket. The story of Africa’s qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the story of a continent stepping into a new era of global football relevance. Record representation, historic qualifiers, dramatic late-round twists, and the exits of giants. Here is how it all unfolded. Why Africa Had More Spots This Time In…

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest in the tournament’s history. Forty-eight teams, twelve groups, a brand new knockout round, and 104 matches across three countries and 39 days. If the old format is still the one in your head, here’s everything that’s changed, and what it means for Bafana Bafana and the African teams at the tournament. The fundamental shift is simple: the World Cup has expanded from 32 teams to 48. But the way those 48 teams compete, how they qualify from the group stage, and how the knockout bracket works is what most fans haven’t fully…

Sixteen years. That is how long South Africa have waited to return to a FIFA World Cup. In 2010, the world came to them. In 2026, they go to the world, and they do so with a moment that no other nation at this tournament can claim: they play in the opening match. South Africa’s first match is against Mexico at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, the tournament’s opening fixture. For a nation that hosted the World Cup in 2010, there is a symmetry to beginning the 2026 edition on the biggest possible stage. Bafana Bafana will…

In 2022, Morocco changed African football forever. Semi-finalists. Giant-killers. A nation and a continent announcing themselves to the world. Four years later, the Atlas Lions return to that same world stage with an even bolder ambition, to go further. Ranked eighth in the world and confirmed as Africa’s highest-ranked nation heading into the 2026 tournament, Morocco do not arrive as hopeful underdogs. They arrive as a team that has already proven it belongs in the final four of the world’s biggest competition and believes, with genuine reason, that the trophy is within reach. Why 2022 Changed Everything At Qatar 2022,…

Twelve years is a long time to wait. Ivory Coast, three-time AFCON champions, a nation that produced Didier Drogba and has long been considered one of Africa’s elite football powers, have been absent from the World Cup since 2014. That wait is over. And the squad they bring to North America is one that could finally, definitively, break the group stage curse that has defined every previous appearance. The Elephants ended their 12-year World Cup absence by winning their CAF qualifying group with one of the most impressive campaigns of any African nation. Unbeaten in 10 matches. Eight wins and…

Mohamed Salah has won everything English football has to offer. A Premier League title. A Champions League. The Golden Boot, multiple times. He has been, for the better part of a decade, one of the three best footballers on earth. The one thing missing from his national team story is a deep run at a World Cup. The 2026 tournament, Egypt’s first since 2018, is his best, and possibly last, chance to fix that. Egypt return to the global stage after an eight-year absence, arriving as one of Africa’s heavyweights with a squad built around two Premier League-calibre attackers and…