After resolving visa issues that made them “look like fools,” the South African men’s soccer team arrived in Mexico on Tuesday, two days later than planned.
The Bafana Bafana had been due to leave on a charter flight for their training base in Pachuca on Sunday, but that was delayed while the South African Football Association (SAFA) sorted out the paperwork required to obtain U.S. visas.
Bafana Bafana arrives safely in Mexico 🇲🇽#BafanaPride@adidasfootball @adidasza @rexona_sa @standardbankza @10betza @freddyhirschsa @flysaa @castlelagersa @cocacolaza @sabcsport @nutritechfit @sociosdotcom @southernsungrp @honorAfrica pic.twitter.com/9PklgbfXF6
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 2, 2026
Also on Tuesday, Televisa journalists Julio Ibáñez and Daniel García were released from custody in South Africa and are expected to fly home Wednesday. The two men were arrested in Johannesburg on March 18 for allegedly using a drone in an area where such devices are restricted.
Visa debacle criticized
South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie slammed SAFA for the snafu that forced the postponement of the national team’s travel to Mexico. The Bafana Bafana are scheduled to play a friendly match on Friday against Jamaica in their final warm-up ahead of the inaugural World Cup match against host Mexico on June 11.
While the South African delegation was welcomed to their training base in Pachuca by a mariachi band on Tuesday morning, some members of their contingent were still unable to travel.
All the players made the trip, but an assistant coach, the team doctor, the head of security and one analyst were still sorting out visa issues in South Africa.
SAFA had announced on Sunday that the team had been forced to postpone their travel plans due to “challenges regarding visas” for some players and officials.
The visas in question were U.S. visas as the Bafana Bafana play their second group-stage match in Atlanta, Georgia, and the issue had to be resolved before departing South Africa.
This infuriated McKenzie, who, in a social media post, called the visa debacle “grossly unfair towards the players [and] coaching staff.” The sports minister demanded an investigation and called for punishment to be meted out to “those responsible for this mess.”
This @SAFA_net travel & visa debacle is embarrassing & grossly unfair towards the players & coaching staff. I have informed @SAFA_net that I need a report and action must be taken against those responsible for this mess. We are being made to look like fools.
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) May 31, 2026
McKenzie also shut down criticism of the U.S. Embassy in a second post, thanking embassy personnel for “bending over backwards” to help, insisting that “[t]he fault is entirely on our side, and making statements against the US staffers is not helping the situation for future applications.”
Televisa journalists coming home after dubious legal dispute
While the South Africa team was settling into its Pachuca headquarters, Ibáñez and García were preparing to return to Mexico after a judge terminated the legal process against them.
The two journalists have now recovered their passports after nearly 11 weeks in custody, which included five days in prison beginning on March 24. Since then, they had been held in house arrest in a Johannesburg Airbnb.
“Our colleagues will arrive in Mexico tomorrow to reunite with their families,” Televisa said in a statement. “We thank the Mexican authorities for their support during this unfortunate process, which has finally concluded.”
Ibáñez, an experienced soccer journalist, and García, a cameraman, were in South Africa to produce content related to the World Cup. While live-streaming on TikTok, the pair were interrupted by armed men who burst into their hotel room.
In the 20-second video, Ibáñez can be seen asking fearfully, “What’s happening?” and the live stream abruptly ends, leaving viewers uncertain about what happened.
The journalists were originally accused of terrorism and espionage, but those charges were dropped on March 27. They subsequently were held on the grounds that their immigration status in South Africa was irregular, but these charges were later amended before the entire case was dropped this week.
With reports from Supersport.com, Esto, La Jornada, BBC, Eje Central and El País
