As South Africa’s soccer team danced the night away at Guadalupe’s Monterrey Stadium after making World Cup history, Johannesburg fans celebrated in the streets long before the sun rose, heralding what would be an unprecedented day in the country’s soccer history.
After two red cards, one loss, one draw and then a win, South Africa did it all in their World Cup group stage matches and reached the finals for the first time.
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Thapelo Maseko found the back of the net in the 63rd minute to give Bafana Bafana a stunning 1-0 victory over South Korea. Bafana are currently straddling the fine line between advancing to the Round of 32 and being eliminated.
Monterrey Stadium will echo for a long time with the raw emotions of South African fans and players celebrating a fairytale win that ended a group stage run that began with a disastrous opening-round defeat for Hugo Bruce’s side.
While most of the nation had yet to wake up to the team’s historic accomplishments, hardcore soccer fans sacrificed their sleep to watch the 3 a.m. kickoff in Korea, oblivious to the silent countdown to history that was about to take place.
A few hours later, as the sun began to make its presence known, the streets filled with supporters in their pajamas and warm clothes dancing and celebrating South Africa’s achievement. In the locker room in Guadalupe, Mexico, some 10,000 km (6,200 miles) away, the team danced all night.
“It’s like the whole country is awake and probably won’t even go to work tomorrow!” joked Lorenz Kohler, a South African soccer fan.
The last time Johannesburg-based soccer fans saw their team play at the World Cup was in 2010, when South Africa hosted the tournament, and South Africa infamously became the first ever host nation to fail to make it past the group stage.
I can safely say that this moment surpasses any moment in 2010. It will never be forgotten,” Kohler told Al Jazeera.
“I know there were a lot of watch parties this evening as if it were an afternoon. People had faith and knew something big could happen.”
“People have given up on us”
South Africa’s performance left some critics raising their hands in defeat, questioning what Hugo Bruce’s side could do this time.
“Before the tournament started, so many people ignored us and said we would be the whipping boys of the group, which made the performance and the win all the more amazing,” soccer fanatic Byron Pillay told Al Jazeera.
“This is an incredibly proud moment. Clive Barker once gave us a dream and now Hugo Bruce is making that dream a reality.”
Regardless of the outcome of the tournament, South Africa’s achievement is historic for the Belgian coach, who will end his nearly 40-year managerial career after the 2026 World Cup.
“It was an emotional moment,” the 74-year-old said after the match.
“We came to Mexico and wanted to survive the group stage… and it was a really emotional moment for me, not just because we won the game, but also for me because, as I’ve said in the past, this is probably one of the last games of my career,” added Brus.
Immediately after the team won, the South African government congratulated the victory, saying it “reflects the team’s determination, discipline and fighting spirit on the world’s biggest sporting stage.”
“This performance inspired hope and excitement among South Africans at home and abroad, while also demonstrating the country’s footballing talent to the world,” the group said in a statement. “All of us. Let’s all have a kaofela.”
Diplomats, ambassadors and politicians alike flooded social media with congratulatory messages as supporters around the world basked in the glory.
For Sahir Ebrahim, Wednesday’s win was a deja vu moment that was even better than 2010.
“The 2010 celebration is not so much the joy of hosting, but in terms of our football performance, this performance in the purest sense is something to be celebrated nationwide,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Exceeded expectations”
Bruce, who took charge of South African men’s football in 2021, said: “Today we saw a team that believed in themselves.”
“On Sunday we will see a team that believes in itself again and fights for 90 minutes, and we will fight even more if needed.”
The nation, whose departure for the Games had been delayed by an almost comical administrative gaffe that turned into a public blame game, seemed satisfied with the unexpected victory.
“What happens after this is just a icing on the cake. If we get to the last 16, we’ll perform better than expected,” Kohler said.
“But they have the belief that they can surpass Canada. They are not considered one of the giants of world soccer. Also, the advantage is that they have to go to Los Angeles instead of being in Canada for the games.”
Publicly, the Bulls were the team’s biggest supporters.
“Tactically I think we played a very good game. It was very good. Everyone did their job. I’m very proud of the team’s performance.”
