World Cup 2026: South Africa squad arrives in Mexico after visa delay

South Africa’s World Cup squad has finally arrived in Mexico following a travel delay caused by visa complications, with assistant coach Helman Mkhalele now set to join the team after securing the necessary documentation.

Bafana Bafana landed in Mexico in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a long-haul flight from Johannesburg, ending days of uncertainty surrounding their departure for the tournament.

The team had initially been scheduled to leave on Sunday, but an administrative error resulted in several players and members of the technical staff not having the required visas in place, forcing a postponement and sparking widespread criticism.

Mkhalele was among those affected by the visa issues. The assistant coach only received his United States visa on Monday, after the team’s charter flight had already departed. He is now travelling separately to join the squad at their training base in Puebla.

The visa setback also affected South Africa’s head of security, Mdu Mbatha. Both men had previously seen their visa applications denied by the US Consulate General in Johannesburg for undisclosed reasons, but their documents have since been successfully processed.

South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan confirmed that the pair would soon be reunited with the rest of the delegation.

“I can confirm that Helman and Mbatha have got their visas, and they will be leaving to join the team. Tomorrow, all of them will be together,” Jordaan said.

He also expressed appreciation to American diplomatic officials for their assistance in resolving the matter.

“I would also like to thank the US Embassy for their cooperation and for their support in ensuring that all of our players are together now. I want to extend my gratitude and my thanks to all the staff at the American Embassy,” he added.

The delayed departure has cost South Africa valuable preparation time ahead of their opening World Cup fixture. The team missed a day of training and acclimatisation to the altitude conditions in Pachuca before their tournament opener against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City on June 11.

Bafana Bafana will look to put the disruption behind them when they face Jamaica in their final warm-up match on Friday.

South Africa have been drawn in Group A, where they will take on Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea as they seek to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.