Visa delays reshape South Africa's World Cup send‑off
The South African national football team will finally leave for Qatar on Monday after a two‑day postponement caused by visa complications that originally scheduled the departure for Sunday.
The delay affected a handful of players and staff, but the South African Football Association announced that all 23 registered players have now been cleared to travel, while four support personnel are still awaiting final documentation.
An emergency meeting convened by the association on Sunday night brought together officials from the foreign ministry and the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg, who worked through the bureaucratic snags that had threatened to keep the squad grounded.
The resolution comes amid heightened scrutiny of the team's management, particularly after midfielder Teboho Mokoena took the field in a recent qualifier while serving a suspension, a move that sparked criticism from pundits and fans alike.
The controversy was compounded by a recent ruling that stripped South Africa of a victory over Lesotho, a result that had briefly jeopardized the team's qualification prospects, though they managed to clinch top spot in their qualifying group by a single point.
Despite the off‑field turbulence, the squad is focused on the upcoming tournament, where they will open their campaign against Mexico in Mexico City on June 11, before confronting the Czech Republic and South Korea in Group A.
Looking ahead
This tournament will mark the team's first World Cup appearance since they hosted the event in 2010, and the players are eager to make a strong impression on the global stage.