South Africa's World Cup departure delayed as visa problems strand squad in Johannesburg

South Africa’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup have been thrown into disarray after a visa failure prevented the squad from boarding their scheduled charter flight to Pachuca, Mexico, leaving Bafana Bafana stranded in Johannesburg with no confirmed departure time.

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie did not hold back in his assessment of the situation. “This SAFA travel and visa debacle is embarrassing and grossly unfair towards the players and coaching staff,” he wrote on X. “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.”

The South African Football Association (SAFA) confirmed in a statement that the morning flight had been scrapped due to “challenges regarding visas” for some players and officials, adding that it was “working around the clock” to get the squad to Mexico City as soon as possible. No further detail was provided on the specific nature of the problems. An emergency SAFA meeting is planned for Sunday night. Association officials did not respond to separate requests for comment.

The timing is particularly uncomfortable given the significance of the fixture ahead. South Africa face co-hosts Mexico in the tournament opener in Mexico City on 11 June — their first appearance at a World Cup since they hosted the competition in 2010.

The squad’s path to the finals was itself far from straightforward. A 2-0 qualifying win over Lesotho was overturned after South Africa fielded midfielder Teboho Mokoena while he was serving a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards. Despite the points deduction, they still edged Nigeria and Benin by a single point to secure their place.

Beyond the opener against Mexico, South Africa have Group A fixtures against Czech Republic on 18 June in Atlanta and South Korea on 24 June in Monterrey. With the tournament days away, every training session at their Pachuca base carries added weight — making the administrative delay all the more costly.