Safa breaks its silence on the Bafana Bafana visa issue problem as the team remains grounded

Safa has issued an update on the Bafana Bafana visa related challenge.

This morning South Africa's senior national side were unable to leave the country as scheduled for Mexico due to some personal having no visas issued.

The bungle has seen the entire nation outraged as this is not something expected from a footballing nation as big as South Africa.

“The South African Football Association (SAFA) wishes to update the nation on Bafana Bafana’s travel plans to Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” reads a statement from Safa.

"The South African senior men’s national team has experienced challenges regarding Visas for some players and officials, and as a result the group could not travel to North America this morning as originally planned.

"SAFA is working around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible ahead of the opening match of the global tournament against the hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, 2026. 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.

"SAFA will have an Emergency Committee Meeting this evening (Sunday, 31 May 2026) and a further update will be communicated to the nation after its conclusion."

Bafana will face Jamaica on Friday in a friendly international but that match remains in doubt now as it's not known when the team will leave the country.