Visa chaos grounds South Africa's World Cup squad 11 days before opening match against Mexico

South Africa's return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010 has been thrown into disarray by an administrative failure that grounded their charter flight from Johannesburg on Sunday. The squad, known as Bafana Bafana, was scheduled to fly to a training camp in Pachuca, Mexico, but remained at OR Tambo International Airport after it emerged that visas for multiple members of the travelling party had not been secured.

The visa breakdown

The South African Football Association (SAFA) confirmed in a statement that the team "experienced challenges regarding visas for some players and officials, and as a result the group could not travel to North America this morning as originally planned." While SAFA did not disclose exact numbers, the public broadcaster SABC reported that at least 20 members of the delegation were still awaiting visa processing at the United States embassy in Johannesburg. The delay affects not only Mexican entry visas but also US visas required for South Africa's second group match against Czech Republic in Atlanta on June 18.

SAFA is working around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible ahead of the opening match.

The federation said it had called an emergency committee meeting for later on Sunday and that the team would continue training in Johannesburg until departure is possible. A pre-tournament friendly against Jamaica is scheduled for June 5 in Mexico City, adding further time pressure.

Minister's stinging rebuke

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie delivered a blistering public condemnation of the federation on social media platform X, calling the situation "embarrassing and grossly unfair towards the players and coaching staff." He demanded a full report from SAFA and promised disciplinary measures.

We are being made to look like fools.

McKenzie's intervention has intensified scrutiny on SAFA, which already faced embarrassment during World Cup qualifying when a 2-0 victory over Lesotho was overturned because South Africa fielded an ineligible player — Teboho Mokoena, who was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. Despite that administrative bungle, the team still finished a point ahead of Nigeria and Benin to secure their place at the finals.

Wider visa tensions at the 2026 tournament

The South African visa crisis is not an isolated incident. The New York Times reported that members of Iran's World Cup squad have also not been issued visas for the United States, where they play their opening group match against New Zealand. The US government has implemented a "visa bond pilot program" this year requiring fans from several African nations — including World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia — to potentially post deposits of up to $15,000 to enter the country.

While athletes and team officials are exempt from the bond requirement, they are subject to what the US government describes as "rigorous screening and vetting." In April, Iranian soccer executives were unable to attend an Asian Football Confederation meeting in Canada due to visa issues.

What lies ahead

South Africa are drawn in Group A alongside co-hosts Mexico, Czech Republic, and South Korea. The tournament opens on June 11 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca with the match between Mexico and South Africa — a fixture that now carries added uncertainty over whether the visitors will have adequate preparation time. Their remaining group matches are against Czech Republic on June 18 in Atlanta and South Korea on June 24 in Monterrey.

Head coach Hugo Broos announced his 26-man squad on Wednesday, including two uncapped players. The team received a grand public sendoff in Johannesburg on Saturday, a celebration that social media users have since questioned given that officials were apparently aware of the unresolved visa situation at the time.

The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, runs from June 11 to July 19. For South Africa, a nation appearing at the global finals for only the fourth time and the first since their historic hosting in 2010, the visa debacle has turned what should have been a moment of national pride into a crisis of administrative competence.