Ramaphosa reiterates call for citizens to rally behind Bafana Bafana

Bafana Bafana 26-man FIFA World Cup squad at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated his call for all South Africans to rally behind Bafana Bafana as they kick off their campaign to win the FIFA World Cup in Mexico in ten days.

Last week, Ramaphosa hosted a send-off dinner for South Africa’s men’s national team, which qualified for the 2026 World Cup for the first time since the country hosted the event in 2010.

🇿🇦 Bafana Bafana has arrived at the Send-Off Event!

SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan joined players and supporters as the nation united behind Bafana Bafana ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

ALL OF US. ALL IN. KA⚽️FELA! 🏆⚽️

📺 Catch the 2026 FIFA World Cup LIVE from 11 June… pic.twitter.com/5ESxuBKGqJ

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) May 30, 2026

In his letter to the nation on Monday, the President has likened the squad’s breakthrough after a prolonged period of difficulty to that of the country, whose democracy has matured and is seeing signs of an economic recovery.

He says as citizens cheer on the team, they should also cheer themselves and celebrate how far South Africa has come in building a united, non-racial and non-sexist country.

Dear Fellow South African,

In just under two weeks’ time, Bafana Bafana will participate in the opening match in this year’s FIFA World Cup against Mexico.

They carry with them the best wishes of more than 62 million South Africans who will be cheering them on at every stage… pic.twitter.com/jKlvzwzWXT

— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) June 1, 2026