“Whole World Submitted One Prayer”: Nigerians Celebrate South Africa’s 2–0 Loss Against Mexico
- A group of Nigerian men living in England went viral after wearing Mexican soccer jerseys to support Mexico against South Africa
- The rare display of continental division was driven by global outrage over Mzansi's anti-migrant protests and a planned 30 June 2026 march to remove illegal foreign nationals
- Viewers supported the clip following Bafana Bafana's 2-0 defeat, with users claiming the whole world had held a collective prayer for South Africa to lose
Source: Facebook
A viral post shared by African travel content creator Wodemaya on Facebook on 11 June 2026 exposed a deep rift in continental solidarity. The clip features a group of Nigerian expatriates living in England who donned Mexican soccer jerseys to declare their support of the North American co-hosts. In a shift from the traditional unwritten rule where African nations support each other on the global sporting stage, the men cheered for Mexico as they faced off against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
Why the sudden change of African unity during the World Cup?
The decision by these fans to abandon continental alignment comes from growing global condemnation of South Africa’s ongoing political tensions. This follows a highly publicised domestic call for undocumented migrants to return home, ahead of a planned nationwide march scheduled for 30 June 2026. As street demonstrations turn increasingly volatile, many foreign nationals have reportedly started fleeing the country in fear for their lives.
Watch the TikTok reel below:
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Bafana Bafana’s defeat delights foreign nationals
The viral clip received a massive wave of online engagement, with the majority of continental football fans backing the Nigerian expats. Following a miserable outing for Bafana Bafana, which concluded with a 2-0 defeat to Mexico and two red cards being issued, social media users took to the comments section, claiming that justice was served. They said even if Bafana Bafana were playing on its own, they would support the stadium.
Source: Getty Images
User @Maurice KE commented:
"Looks like the whole continent submitted one collective prayer request, and it got approved immediately."
User @Kanjanga Martin shared:
"Africa stands with Mexico, even if South Africa were playing alone, we'd support the stadium."
User @Freddy Shots added:
"Africa is happy."
User @Adoka Paul Emmanuel shared:
"As a Nigerian, I'm happy and am rooting for Ghana and other African countries to succeed at the World Cup, except SA."
User @Taliah Ingrid M'tanga Jr. said:
"Even in the next game, we will support Korea."
User @Osinachi Frank added:
"South Africa will not win a single match in this tournament."
3 Briefly News sports-related articles
- A gorgeous lady wearing a Bafana Bafana t-shirt at the stadium caught a content creator's eye, who immediately declared her the official queen of the Bafana Bafana fans.
- An organised sports run through the Western Cape township of Khayelitsha, priced at R1,000 for an entry, sparked a massive debate about affordability and the intended market.
- A young Jiu-Jitsu champion, after winning a competition, was filmed pulling his fellow competitors onto the first-place grandstand to celebrate with him.
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Source: Briefly News
