Pretoria – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday night sent off Bafana Bafana with a passionate address at a dinner held in the team’s honour, as the country gears up to compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The send-off dinner, held on 27 May 2026, also served as the occasion for head coach Hugo Broos to officially unveil the final 26-man squad that will carry South Africa’s footballing hopes onto the world stage for the first time in over two decades.
Ramaphosa pulled no punches when he told the players what the nation expects of them, going well beyond a simple good luck message. 
“Asifuni group stage. Asifuni knockout rounds. Asifuni ukuzwa the words ‘elimination’ or ‘bowing out,'” Ramaphosa told the squad, drawing on a blend of Zulu and English to drive home the point that South Africans want nothing short of the trophy. “You are bringing the FIFA World Cup trophy home.”
The president reminded the players that their qualification alone had already made history, but said the country’s appetite for more cannot be contained.
“As a team, you have already made history by qualifying for the first time in more than twenty years. Now we want to see you lift that trophy,” he said.
Ramaphosa credited the South African Football Association, government, football clubs and associations, as well as sponsors, for years of investment in the game that eventually made the qualification possible.
“We owe everyone involved a debt of gratitude for not only developing this sport, but of uniting a nation,” he said.
The president told the squad that when they land in Mexico City, they will be carrying the dreams of more than 60 million South Africans on their shoulders.
“Bafana Bafana are our emissaries of hope and the standard-bearers of the national flag,” Ramaphosa said, adding that the diversity of the squad and technical team sends a message to the world about South Africa’s constitutional democracy and its promise of opportunity for all.
He also urged the players to conduct themselves with distinction off the ball, saying the manner in which a team plays reflects the values of its society, including integrity, humility, respect, tolerance and inclusivity.
Ramaphosa closed with a personal pledge that left the room in little doubt about his confidence in the squad.
“I will be there when you lift the trophy on the 19th of July. And, yes, I will declare it a public holiday,” he said, adding with a final flourish: “May you have wind in your sails, steel in your veins and thunder in your boots.”
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie and SAFA president Dr Danny Jordaan were among the dignitaries present at the dinner.
