South Africa: Overview of Bafana Bafana at World Cup

12 June 2010
allAfrica.com

Many of the home team's supporters fear Bafana Bafana (The Boys, the Boys) will struggle to make it out of the group stage. The United States and co-hosts Japan and South Korea, none of them soccer powerhouses, passed that basic test in 1994 and 2002, respectively.

But home teams have also emerged victorious in six World Cups and the South Africans dream of doing the same, despite starting in one of the toughest groups, where they have been drawn alongside Uruguay, Mexico and France.

To achieve this, Bafana Bafana would have to emulate on this larger stage their gallant victory at the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, won a mere four years after their readmission to international football.

Previous FIFA World Cup Appearances: 1998, 2002.


Road to South Africa: By virtue of their role as hosts, South Africa gained automatic qualification.

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