Still revelling in the afterglow of South Africa’s euphoric, historic run to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ knockout stage, South Africa Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan has expressed his gratitude to FIFA, President Gianni Infantino and Vice President Patrice Motsepe for offering African football the chance to flourish. “Africa has benefited immensely under their leadership,” said Mr Jordaan, who was elected last month to a fourth term as SAFA President. “Football evolves in four-year cycles, and we have come to the end of the 2022-2026 cycle, a cycle that closed with the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It was the biggest World Cup yet – 48 nations, with several reaching the knockout stages for the first time,” Mr Jordaan said. “Africa showed why they deserved more representation, from Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire… Cabo Verde that captured the hearts of the world, and of course our own Bafana Bafana.”

A member of FIFA’s Men’s National Team Competitions Committee, Mr Jordaan emphasised that in 1994 – the last time the FIFA World Cup™ was contested in North America – Africa’s qualification allotment was raised to just three slots. It has now tripled to nine, plus a play-off place. There were 10 African nations at this year’s FIFA World Cup, and an impressive nine reached the knockouts. In “addressing football’s long-standing global imbalance,” according to Mr Jordaan, FIFA has given African football a platform and pathway to help unlock its massive potential. “What remains true, for football and more generally, is that Africa constantly and consistently produces the best in the world when we are allowed to flourish. Any programme that enables this will always have support from us,” Mr Jordaan said.

Chief among those is the FIFA Forward Programme, which has redistributed more than USD 5.1 billion in revenue to national and regional associations since Mr Infantino took office a decade ago. Each individual Member Association (MA) received up to USD 8 million during phase 3.0, which represents a seven-fold increase from early 2016. When deployed effectively, those funds can permanently alter a country’s football landscape, providing resources, opportunity and access to so many players with potential.

Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup run was not a one-off, Mr Jordaan said. “That is a development pipeline working.”

There are signs of growth at all levels. After failing to reach the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in their first six attempts, South Africa qualified in 2019 and 2023 (reaching the round of 16) and remain in contention to earn a place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ via the inter-confederation play-offs. The Banyana Banyana are ranked second in Africa according to the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking. The men’s U-20 side won their first continental crown and then advanced to the round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025™ in Chile, while the U-17s qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ for the second time last year. A U-15 team will represent South Africa at this month’s inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival™ in Azerbaijan.

At club level, Mamelodi Sundowns FC competed (and won a match) at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and then followed that up with a second CAF Champions League triumph and a win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in last month’s FIFA African–Asian–Pacific Cup™. They’re now just one game away from a place in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ final. Meanwhile, Mamelodi’s women’s team will play later this year for their third African championship and a spot at the FIFA Women's Champions Cup 2027™.

The SAFA now fields 12 national teams, and has trained more than 3,000 coaches over the past four years. Growth, access, improvement and accolades result from dedication and investment, and the SAFA has been diligent about using FIFA Forward funds to strengthen the country’s football foundation at all levels.

A focus on women’s football has been a significant part of the SAFA’s strategy, as it aims to widen the pathway for developing female players and coaches. For example, USD 1.4 million in FIFA Forward 3.0 funding was used to establish the SAFA Girls Academy at the University of Pretoria High Performance Centre and Clapham High School, where 25 players are currently receiving elite training and support. At grassroots level, it has organised FIFA Women’s Football Campaign events for girls ages 6-12 in multiple provinces. In partnership with the FIFA Coaching Education Scholarship Programme, SAFA launched an all-female CAF B Licence Coaching Course. It also hosted Africa’s first FIFA Women Coach Educators Pathway Programme in September. “Beyond our national teams, we have been hard at work on the wider football ecosystem,” Mr Jordaan said.