South Africa Travel + Tourism Guide: Bafana Bafana (National Team)

Bafana Bafana: South Africa's National Soccer Team

South Africa's national soccer team is more commonly known as "Bafana Bafana" and is beloved. (In the Nguni language "bafana" means "the boys.")

Soccer was brought to South Africa by the British colonial power in the 19th century.

The first Football Association of South Africa (FASA) was formed in 1892 and was all-white. In response, other ethnic groups founded their own associations: the South African Indian Football Association (SAIFA), the South African Bantu Football Association (SABFA), and the South African Coloured Football Association (SACFA).

South Africa was one of the four founding members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1956. The other members were Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

However South Africa's constitution prohibited racially mixed teams from participating in competitve sport. The South Africans were faced with the choice of sending either an all-Black or all-white side. They were ultimately banned from participating.

Bafana Bafana.

In 1991, after many years of sporting and political exile, South Africa created a multi-racial South African Football Association and was admitted to FIFA.

On 7 July 1992, the national team played their first international game in two decades, defeating Cameroon 1-0. South Africa qualified for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, but did not progress beyond the first round.

South Africa recently finished fourth in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup.

Top players have included Benni McCarthy and Shaun Bartlett.

South Africa World Cup 2010 Team Profile

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