Despite being the most popular sport in South Africa, Bafana Bafana struggles to garner the same level of support as the Springboks and Proteas, even as they prepare for the FIFA World Cup, due to decades of mediocrity and a lack of home crowd enthusiasm. Picture: Phil Magakoe
As South Africa prepares to take on Mexico in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup on Thursday, it’s worth noting that soccer is the most popular sport in the Rainbow Nation, yet Bafana Bafana seems to be the least well-supported side of the big three sports in the country.
Ask your co-worker or family friend what they think of Bafana’s chances at this World Cup and you will invariably receive some form of pessimistic response.
Backing the Springboks is both an institution and almost a religion in South Africa. Their four Rugby World Cup titles and countless other trophies make supporting them an easy sell.
For the Proteas, it’s a bit more tricky as they are yet to achieve World Cup success in limited overs. They, of course, won the World Test Championship in 2025, and even when they disappoint in big events like the T20 World Cup where they crashed out at the quarter-final stage earlier this year, they were the talk of the town before and after that match.
