South Africa's forward #09 Lyle Foster hugs South Africa's forward #12 Thapelo Maseko while celebrating their team first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group A football match between South Africa and South Korea at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 24, 2026. Picture: YURI CORTEZ / AFP
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
This famous quote from South Africa’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, rang true once more on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Just as it did on June 24, 1995, when the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup on home soil at Ellis Park.
Just as it did less than a year later, on February 3, 1996, when Bafana Bafana stormed to the Africa Cup of Nations title at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
