Remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Bafana Bafana send-off dinner ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Programme Director,
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
President of the South African Football Association, Dr Danny Jordaan,
Representatives of football organisations present,
Head Coach, Mr Hugo Broos,
Members of the national squad,
Members of the technical team,
Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me the greatest pleasure to welcome you all here this evening. 

We gather here to declare boldly and with great pride:

Bafana Bafana has done it. Bafana Bafana is back. 

Stronger. Focused. Fearless. Hungrier. 

The people of South Africa have waited a long time for this moment. 

We have been behind our team in the stadiums, in our homes and in our hearts.

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. 

Asifuni group stage. Asifuni knockout rounds. Asifuni ukuzwa the words ‘elimination’ or ‘bowing out.’

You are bringing the FIFA World Cup trophy home.

We have seen the immense potential of sport to inspire and unite our country. 

Time and again we have witnessed South Africans from all walks of life rallying behind our sportsmen and women as they compete on the international stage. 

This time will be no different. 

I fully expect to be inundated with calls to declare a public holiday every time you progress to the next round.

It has been a long journey to get to this point, where our team is jetting off to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It has been a difficult road, with lots of challenges. 

What has seen us through is the unwavering commitment of SAFA, government, the football clubs and associations and sponsors to invest in, develop and strengthen South African football over the course of many years.

We owe everyone involved a debt of gratitude for not only developing this sport, but of uniting a nation.

When you arrive in Mexico City, you will be carrying with you the dreams of more than 60 million South Africans.

We are with you, behind you and beside you all the way.

Bafana Bafana are our emissaries of hope and the standard-bearers of the national flag. 

The diversity of our squad and technical team is a reminder to the world that in our constitutional democracy there is room and opportunity for all to realise their potential and fulfil their dreams. 

As ambassadors for South Africa, we are counting on you to put fully into practice what your years of training have prepared you for: sportsmanship, camaraderie, professionalism and teamwork. 

Yet sport is about so much more. 

How the game is played reflects the values of the society itself. Values like integrity, humility, respect, tolerance and inclusivity. 

History has presented Bafana Bafana with this opportunity to rise anew and to take your rightful place at the highest echelons of world football. 

Seize this opportunity. Do even more than your best. Make us even prouder than we are tonight.

We wish you the very best as you head off to the tournament.

I will be there when you lift the trophy on the 19th of July.

And, yes, I will declare it a public holiday.

May you have wind in your sails, steel in your veins and thunder in your boots. 

I thank you.