When Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the opening goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, commentator Peter Drury called it a “goal for all Africa.” Sixteen years later, the continent appeared divided as South Africa faced Mexico at the Azteca Stadium and then Czechia in Atlanta.
Longstanding football rivalries with Nigeria and Egypt, and recent memorable encounters with Ghana and Morocco, sit alongside a political backdrop that has made support for Hugo Broos’ side complicated for some fans. Social media posts showed Nigerian supporters backing Mexico in the 2-0 win over South Africa, with comments mixing traditional rivalry and references to anti-migrant unrest in South Africa.
Ghanaian presenter and media executive Nana Aba Anamoah, who has 2.5 million followers on X, was among voices urging opposition to Bafana’s opponents to condemn xenophobia. Ahead of the Czechia game she posted: “Condemning xenophobia isn’t politics. It’s basic human decency. Unity starts with treating humans like fellow humans. Come on, CZECHIA.” Her post responded to a press conference clip of Bafana captain Ronwen Williams, who said he hoped football could be a tool for African unity while asking that politics be left to politicians.
According to a Stats SA report, immigrants made up 5.1% of South Africa’s population in 2022-23, with more than 3 million migrants in a nation of just over 60 million. The report said 63.6% of those migrants came from nearby countries within Southern Africa. Reuters cited Stats SA as reporting immigrants were only about 2% of the population in 1996, a change the data suggests amounts to roughly a fourfold increase in absolute numbers and about a 150% proportional rise.
South Africa’s unemployment rate stands at 32.7%, and the country is recorded as having the highest Gini coefficient in the world, indicating extreme income inequality. Migrant workers—particularly those without documentation—are often employed in low-paying jobs. A multi-agency investigation in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal earlier in 2026 found undocumented workers in textile factories earning as little as R50 per day.
Incidents of xenophobic violence have flared intermittently since a 2008 wave. Xenowatch recorded 128,858 people displaced and 698 killed in 1,321 xenophobic incidents since 1994 as of June 21. South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs said deportations rose 46% over the last two financial years, totaling 109,344 between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026, and that it had processed 586 Nigerians for repatriation. According to ESPN’s Colin Udoh, the turning of some African fans against Bafana is a consequence of those xenophobic tensions and has complicated the usual continental solidarity at World Cups.
