When Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the opening goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on home soil, Peter Drury famously described it as a "goal for all Africa", but the continent appeared divided when Bafana Bafana faced Mexico at the Azteca Stadium 16 years later, and Czechia subsequently.
South Africa have longstanding football rivalries with the likes of Nigeria and Egypt, with Ghana and Morocco involved in memorable battles with Bafana in recent years. However, the political context of xenophobic violence in South Africa has, in the eyes of some -- though not all -- supporters, made it more difficult to back Hugo Broos' side.
Posts on social media appeared to show Nigerian fans supporting Mexico in their 2-0 win over South Africa. Comments on various social media posts alluded to both old-fashioned football rivalry and underlying concerns over South Africa's fraught political situation, amid anti-migrant protests.
Ghanaian presenter and media executive Nana Aba Anamoah has been one of the leading voices among those across the continent supporting South Africa's opponents.
Before Bafana's game against Czechia in Atlanta on Thursday, she posted on her X account, which has 2.5 million followers: "Condemning xenophobia isn't politics. It's basic human decency. Unity starts with treating humans like fellow humans. Come on, CZECHIA."
She was responding to a press conference clip of Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams, who had said he hoped football could be a tool for African unity, while also calling for politics to be left for politicians.
Condemning xenophobia isn't politics. It's basic human decency. Unity starts with treating humans like fellow humans.
— nana aba (@thenanaaba) June 18, 2026
Come on, CZECHIA 🙌🙌🙌 https://t.co/pPa8hrS3Y8
The context behind tensions in South Africa
According to a Stats SA report, immigrants made up 5.1% of South Africa's population in 2022-23, with over 3 million migrants in a population of just over 60 million living in the country altogether, and 63.6% of them coming from nearby countries within Southern Africa. Reuters cited Stats SA as having tallied South Africa's immigrant communities as making up only 2% of its total population in 1996.
The data suggests the number of immigrants in the country has increased around fourfold altogether, and around 150% proportionally to South Africa's total population.
South Africa's unemployment rate stands at 32.7%, and the country has the highest Gini coefficient in the world, meaning that it is ranked as the world's most unequal nation according to data tracking the cumulative share of income, or wealth against the cumulative share of the population.
Migrant labourers - particularly those who lack the documentation required to be formally employed in South Africa - are often exploited in low-paying jobs, with competition for scarce opportunities to earn a living fuelling tensions in poorer communities. A multi-agency investigation in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal earlier in 2026 found dozens of undocumented workers in textile factories, earning as little as R50 (around $3) per day.
A wave of xenophobic violence engulfed the nation in 2008 and the issue has flared up intermittently since. As per Xenowatch, 128,858 people have been displaced and 698 killed in 1,321 xenophobic incidents since 1994 - the year of South Africa's first democratic election after apartheid ended -- as of June 21.
According to South Africa's Department of Home Affairs, deportations have risen by a cumulative 46% across the last two financial years, totalling 109,344 between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026.
The department recently said that it had processed 586 Nigerians for repatriation after they were found to be in South Africa illegally, with all of them issued with Emergency Travel Documents by the Nigerian High Commission.
How does this relate to Bafana and the World Cup?
ESPN's Colin Udoh, an expert in Nigerian sports, said: "[African citizens turning against Bafana Bafana is] obviously a consequence of the xenophobia. Usually, I troll Bafana just out of mischief but still support them against non-African teams.
However, these xenophobic issues mean it's hard to practice Ubuntu when people are being violently assaulted."
Ubuntu is a concept with roots in the Bantu-speaking people of Sub-Saharan Africa - including South Africa's isiZulu and isiXhosa communities. It emphasises the interconnectedness of individuals with their societies and is often expressed through the maxim "I am because we are".
The concept has found a home in American sports before. Doc Rivers famously used teachings on Ubuntu to instill a healthy team culture into the Boston Celtics en route to the 2008 NBA Championship. He utilised the wisdom of South African-based coach Thierry Kita Matungulu to help the team apply Ubuntu to basketball.
Ubuntu is closely associated with South Africa in the sporting world and beyond, but over the last two decades, the country has made headlines for matters in stark contrast: widespread xenophobic violence targeted against migrant communities from other African countries, amid inequality and issues with illegal immigration.
It is far from only illegal immigrants bearing the brunt of this. Bafana Bafana centre-back Ime Okon has been on the receiving end of social media abuse since he received his call-up to the national team due to his late father being Nigerian, even though he was born and raised in South Africa by a South African mother.
South African football has a history deeply tied to the country's political landscape. The foundation of the non-racial Federation Professional League (FPL) in 1969 and National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1978 defied the apartheid system of its era. However, since democracy was won in 1994, professional South African football teams and players have seldom made political statements.
While the Premier League stated its support to players who embraced the Black Lives Matter movement following the 2020 death of George Floyd, there was little to no formal engagement from the South African football community despite the sport and its South African Premiership being a sport predominantly played by the country's Black majority. Professional South African football teams and players have said little about xenophobia too.
There have been notable exceptions to the silence. Williams' call for Africa to unite could be interpreted as condemnation of xenophobia, but it was an issue he discussed as a direct response to being falsely quoted as questioning African fans for not supporting his team.
Whether or not Williams would have entered the discussions had he not received backlash for words he had never said is impossible to know, but there have been words on occasion from others in the game.
Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele teamed up with current Zimbabwe interim head coach Kaitano Tembo in 2015 to speak out against xenophobia in front of fans at Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape. Both are South African football icons due to their stints in the Premier Soccer League, but neither were yet in their current roles.
With millions of migrants from other African countries coming to call South Africa a first or second home, as Tembo did, relationships with the country among these communities remain complex. Some still feel a great affection for the country which has become their home despite the challenges.
As a result of South Africa being one of Africa's largest economies, it also has significant cultural impact even on neighbouring countries. Namibia, for one, was occupied by South Africa during apartheid and only gained full independence in 1990.
According to Nandaemua "Sonny" Maharero - who secured Namibia women's football legend Zenatha Coleman her breakthrough in Europe as an agent and is also a respected football analyst - many Namibians feel that even in their independence, they and South Africa are inextricably linked.
Maharero will be backing Bafana and told ESPN: "I support all the African teams. Bafana is closer to home, so it's a big sure thing I'll support Bafana all the way.
"The South African influence in Namibia is huge - especially on the social front, be it music, sports or fashion. I doubt [Namibians] will be divided."
One South African resident from DR Congo told ESPN that the only time he would have complicated feelings about supporting Bafana Bafana would be when they came up against Les Léopards. Otherwise, he would not think twice about supporting them.
However, he acknowledged that many in his community have complicated feelings about supporting Bafana Bafana due to "no other reason than the ongoing protests [by anti-migrant groups in South Africa]".
A Gabonese supporter based outside South Africa said that they had no ill-wishes for Bafana and would not be participating in any "hate-watch" against the team. The fan encouraged African unity, but added: "I don't understand the collective confusion on [South Africa's] end.
"Let's be for real. The xenophobia towards fellow Africans is insane and disgusting. The reason I'm saying I do not support the hate-watch is because I believe we all need to look at and learn about history in order to understand one's behaviour."
Replies to viral X discussions were divided ahead of the draw with Czechia. One user with the Namibian flag next to their name said they would be "supporting my neighbour", another user - who said they supported Mexico in the opener - argued: "Pan-African solidarity is important, but solidarity is built on mutual respect, not entitlement."
When Bafana Bafana face South Korea on Wednesday in Guadalupe, with kick-off at 3 a.m. on Thursday for those watching on Central African Time, millions of fans will still be behind them from across Africa.
It is a crucial game for Hugo Broos' side, after defeat to Mexico and the draw with Czechia left them with backs against the wall, but hope of a first ever knockout rounds appearance still present.
However, there is reason to believe that when it comes to supporting South Africa, the continent and diaspora may not quite be singing with one united voice.