World Cup: A look back at the three Bafana Bafana appearances | OneFootball

A look back at the three Bafana Bafana World Cup appearances

Bafana Bafana/@Super Sport

South Africa has secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a truly wild scenario. Hugo Broos' men defeated Rwanda 3-0 in Nelspruit and capitalized on Benin's heavy loss to Nigeria (4-0) to clinch their fourth World Cup appearance, following those in 1998, 2002, and 2010. Let's relive their three previous campaigns.

France 1998

Grouped with Croatia, Jamaica, and Japan, South Africa made its World Cup debut at France 1998.

Bafana Bafana first lost to the host nation and future world champions by three goals to nil, then held Denmark to a 1-1 draw and Saudi Arabia to a 2-2 tie, finishing third in Group C with 2 points.

Japan-South Korea 2002

Four years later, South Africa improved by claiming their first-ever victory in the finals, beating Slovenia 1-0. However, they were once again eliminated in the group stage, finishing third with 4 points after a draw with Paraguay (2-2) and a narrow loss to Spain (3-2).

South Africa 2010

In 2010, South Africa became the first host nation in World Cup history to fail to reach the knockout stages. For the third time, Bafana Bafana finished third in their group with 4 points: a 1-1 draw with Mexico, a 0-3 loss to Uruguay, and a 2-1 win over France. They were eliminated due to an inferior goal difference compared to Mexico.