OPINION
Bafana Bafana did something South Africans have been waiting a very long time to see: they made it out of the World Cup group stage. Now their success has created another opportunity, one that could matter long after the players have stopped celebrating.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) received R218 million from FIFA after Bafana reached the last 32 at the 2026 World Cup. FIFA also provided a separate $2.5 million (about R41 million) preparation allocation before the tournament.
SAFA has now said that more than R100 million of the World Cup money will be directed towards football development and administration. That sounds promising. But it raises a much more important question: what will South African football actually get for that money?
The money came because Bafana made history
Bafana’s World Cup campaign was already a financial success before SAFA announced its plans for the windfall. South Africa reached the knockout stage for the first time, earning FIFA’s $12 million payment for reaching the last 32.
Under an agreement made before the tournament, 50% of the prize money is allocated to the players and technical team, while the remainder stays with SAFA. SAFA Finance Committee chairperson Mxolisi Sibam said the association had decided before the tournament how the money would be divided.
The players themselves appear to have supported the idea of putting some of it back into the game. Sibam said Bafana captain Ronwen Williams told him the players did not want the national team to take all the money. Instead, they wanted some of it used to develop the next generation of players.
R100 million sounds like a lot of money. But South African football has a lot of places to put it.
What is SAFA actually spending it on?
SAFA plans to invest about R10 million towards a national junior competition, according to Sibam. The idea is to create more opportunities for young players to play competitively and strengthen the country’s football structures. SAFA says the money will be distributed across its wider football ecosystem, including junior national teams, competitions and other development initiatives.
That may sound less exciting than signing a superstar or building a giant stadium. But youth competitions are exactly the sort of infrastructure South Africa needs to keep producing players capable of playing at the highest level.
A player does not become a Bafana international simply because someone discovers them at 15. They need coaching, regular competitive football, facilities, medical support and a pathway into professional football. That is the pathway where South African football has struggled.
The biggest problem isn’t finding talent
South Africa has never really had a shortage of talented footballers. The harder problem is consistently developing that talent.
A promising player growing up in a well-funded environment can have access to qualified coaches, proper pitches, nutrition, medical support and competitive tournaments. Another talented player might have the same ability but far fewer opportunities.
That means development spending is not just about producing the next Bafana star. It is about making sure talent is not lost simply because a child happened to grow up in the wrong place or could not access the right structures.
This is also why Morocco’s success has been so closely watched across African football. The country has invested heavily in football infrastructure and youth development over many years. Its Mohammed VI Football Academy is one example of an organised system designed to identify and develop young players.
Morocco reached the 2022 World Cup semi-finals and then went on to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. In 2026, it reached the World Cup quarter-finals.
South Africa does not need to copy Morocco exactly. But one needs to ask why some countries are building systems that repeatedly produce competitive teams while others remain dependent on individual generations of exceptional players.
But there is another SAFA problem
The R100 million announcement comes at an awkward moment for SAFA. The association is currently preparing for its 12 September elective congress, which means its leadership and governance are already under scrutiny. Questions about how SAFA manages money have not disappeared.
Last month, Parliament heard that Bafana’s former team manager, Vincent Tseka, had been allocated R700,000 for daily sundries during the World Cup but had not yet submitted receipts accounting for the expenditure. Tseka has asked for more time to provide the outstanding documentation.
There is also a separate dispute over R20 million in government funding for VAR. SAFA says the money remains untouched in a separate account while it completes its internal review and procurement processes. The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has given the association a final 21-day extension to report on the project.
What would success actually look like?
This is the part South African football supporters should watch. If SAFA spends R100 million on development, the result should not simply be another press conference announcing that money has been allocated.
In five or 10 years, supporters should be able to see what it produced. More youth competitions. Better facilities. More qualified coaches. More players coming through development structures. More opportunities outside the traditional football centres.
Ultimately, more South African players are capable of competing internationally. SAFA says the World Cup money should benefit football at all levels rather than only the senior national team. That is exactly what it should do.
Bafana’s World Cup run gave South African football a financial windfall. Now SAFA has to prove it can turn one successful generation into the foundation for the next.
Because the best legacy of Bafana’s 2026 World Cup should not be that South Africa finally made the knockout stage. It should be that the next generation does not have to wait another 16 years to do it again.
Kamogelo is a journalist who graduated in Journalism from the University of the Free State. He’s just a simple guy who’s really into sport, like, more than anything else. He basically lives and breathes it because that’s where he feels happiest. He’s into all kinds of sports, but football and cricket are his absolute favourites.
