The South African National Soccer Team

Thanks to the country's apartheid regime Southhome nation, gained an automatic place in the final
African soccer players were excluded fromcompetition in 2010.
international competition for almost 50 years. But inThe current team is a young squad with a lot of
1992, FIFA made the decision to allow the now raciallypotential. Many of the players who play on the national
diverse South African national soccer team back intoside play on a club level in England, Belgium, Germany,
the fold and allow them the chance to return to theGreece, Israel, Netherlands and Russia. The current
world soccer stage.captain, Aaron Mokoena, is the most capped player in
The team, known locally as Bafana Bafana (Thethe country's history and was also the youngest to
Boys), have come a long way since then. Their firstever play for the country when he made his debut at
international triumph came a mere four years afterjust 18 years old. Probably the most recognizable face
their readmission, when the team surprised the soccerto the world though is striker Benni McCarthy, the
world by winning their first African Cup of Nations titlecountry's leading goal scorer who plays for English
by beating the heavily favored Tunisia at home, in frontPremier League club Blackburn Rovers.
of thousands of cheering fans at Johannesburg'sThe hope of course, for the South African football
Soccer City Stadium.association is that Bafana Bafana can make a strong
The team has also qualified for two of the threeshowing on their home territory, besting perhaps the
World Cup Competitions they were eligible to competerecord of the most successful African nation to have
in, France 1998 and Japan/Korea 2002. Barely missingplayed in the World Cup so far, Cameroon, who
qualification for Germany in 2006 they of course, asmanaged a quarter final place in 1990.