South Africans push for ‘Bafana Fridays’ ahead of FIFA World Cup

by Chumasande Matiwane
South Africans are pushing for 'Bafana Fridays.'

South Africans are rallying behind the Bafana Bafana’s campaign to show nationwide support as the national soccer team prepares to face Mexico in the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match. Fans and media are wearing green and gold at the end of the weekday to push ‘Bafana Fridays’ to boost morale, mirroring the famous 2010 World Cup spirit.

Also see: Bafana Bafana’s World Cup 2026 fixtures: when to watch and why it matters

Image Credit: Supplied

The final team for the FIFA World Cup was announced at Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria on Wednesday, 27 May 2026. The players were personally congratulated by President Cyril Ramaphosa himself, who said, “They would be the country’s ambassadors in the coming weeks in the tournament to be held in North America.”

In the lead-up to the World Cup opening match, scheduled for 11 June 2026 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico, South Africans are pushing for Bafana Fridays at their workplaces where they are allowed to show support for the boys.

One tweet on X said, “Why are schools not pushing the whole Bafana Bafana Fridays as they did with Rugby Fridays? We nearly died looking for the green and gold every Friday!”

Also see: Bafana Bafana stumble in Cape Town despite Mbokazi’s wonder strike

Another user shared, “SAFA just doesn’t care. They didn’t invest in PR as SARU does. SARU literally shoves it down our throats and comes up with different ways to let us know ukba the Boks are going to a WC.”


Also see: Bafana’s final 26-man FIFA World Cup squad causes a stir

Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp channel for content worth tapping into. Click here to join!