South Africa earned their place at the 2026 World Cup on home soil, qualifying for the tournament as one of Africa's representatives making the trip to North America.
Bafana Bafana, as the national team is affectionately known, carry with them the hopes of a football-mad nation still riding the emotional memory of hosting the 2010 World Cup. That tournament remains a defining moment in South African sporting history, and the chance to compete on the world stage again means everything to fans back home.
The 2026 edition will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it the first World Cup to span three countries. For South Africa, the journey to that stage is a story worth following closely as the tournament draws near.
Originally published by BBC Africa.