South Africa's preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have suffered an unexpected setback after the national team failed to depart for Mexico as scheduled on Sunday (31 May) because some players and officials had not yet received their visas.
The national team, Bafana Bafana, were due to fly on a chartered flight to their training base in Pachuca, Mexico, but the trip was postponed as the South African Football Association (SAFA) worked to resolve the documentation issues.
The delay comes just 11 days before South Africa's opening Group A match against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City on 11 June, a fixture expected to attract a global television audience.
South Africa's Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie expressed his frustration over the situation in a post on X.
"This SAFA travel and visa debacle is embarrassing and grossly unfair towards the players and coaching staff," McKenzie wrote.
"I have informed SAFA that I need a report and action must be taken against those responsible for this mess. We are being made to look like fools."
In a statement, SAFA confirmed that visa-related challenges had prevented the team from travelling as planned.
"The team was unable to fly in the morning as planned due to challenges regarding visas for some players and officials," the association said.
"SAFA is working around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible."
"We remain committed to ensuring that the team's preparations for the tournament remain on track and in the meantime, Bafana Bafana will continue to train in Johannesburg until departure," the statement added.
An emergency SAFA meeting was scheduled for Sunday evening to address the situation.
The latest administrative problem follows an earlier scare during the qualification campaign. South Africa's 2-0 win over Lesotho was initially overturned after midfielder Teboho Mokoena was found to have been ineligible for the match because of suspension.
Despite the setback, South Africa still managed to top their qualifying group, finishing one point ahead of Nigeria and Benin to secure their place at the finals.
The tournament marks South Africa's first appearance at the World Cup since hosting the competition in 2010.
After facing Mexico, South Africa will take on the Czech Republic in Atlanta on 18 June before concluding their group-stage campaign against South Korea in Monterrey on 24 June.
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