Ex-Mexico Star Gets Bafana Bafana History Wrong Before Writing Off Team Ahead of 2026 World Cup
- Former Mexico international Luis Garcia mistakenly claimed South Africa has only played in two World Cups, forgetting the 1998 and 2002 tournaments
- Garcia says South Africa lacks a clear football identity and predicts Mexico will beat Bafana Bafana comfortably in 2026
- The ex-striker also suggested nations like Senegal and Ghana are “much more powerful” than South Africa
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Former Mexico international Luis Garcia has delivered a blunt assessment of Bafana Bafana’s chances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but his comments contained factual errors about South Africa’s football history.
Speaking at a media event, the 56-year-old former Atletico Madrid striker claimed South Africa have only participated in two FIFA World Cups — a mistake that ignores the country’s appearances in 1998 and 2002.
Diario 24 Horas reports that Garcia made the error while attempting to downplay South Africa’s pedigree on the global stage.
“South Africa is the team that only participated in two World Cups, their World Cup in 2010, and ours, this one,” Garcia said.
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In reality, South Africa have qualified for four FIFA World Cups: France 1998, Korea/Japan 2002, South Africa 2010 and now the 2026 tournament in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Garcia overlooked Bafana Bafana’s back-to-back qualifications at the turn of the millennium.
Garcia then made controversial remarks about South Africa’s football identity, suggesting the country was “a mix” that was “not so defined in football”.
“So South Africa doesn’t have, I think, it doesn’t belong to black Africa, it’s not white Africa, it’s a mix, so it’s not so defined in football, it’s not such a strong team,” he said.
‘Mexico will win comfortably’ predicts Garcia
Despite the factual errors about South Africa’s World Cup record, Garcia made it clear he expects Mexico to defeat Bafana Bafana when the two nations meet on 11 June 2026 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
“I mean, with all due respect to South Africa, Mexico is going to win, and I don’t say easy, because the games are not won before the ball rolls, Mexico is going to win comfortably against South Africa,” Garcia said.
The former striker also argued that other African nations would pose a much greater threat to Mexico than Bafana Bafana.
“In the Round of 16, if Mexico doesn’t come out of the Azteca Stadium, they can play DR Congo, Ghana [or] Senegal, a much more powerful African team than South Africa, which I think Mexico is going to beat,” he added.
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Bafana Bafana have history of proving doubters wrong
Despite often being underestimated internationally, South Africa have produced several memorable moments at the FIFA World Cup.
At the 1998 World Cup in France, Bafana Bafana drew with Denmark and Saudi Arabia. Four years later, they beat Slovenia 1-0 and drew 2-2 with Paraguay in Korea/Japan, narrowly missing out on a place in the knockout stages due to goals scored.
The 2010 tournament on home soil saw South Africa hold Mexico to a 1-1 draw in the opening match, lose 3-0 to Uruguay and defeat France 2-1 in one of the country’s most memorable World Cup victories.
Now, 16 years after that opening draw against Mexico, the two nations are set to meet again on 11 June 2026. Garcia may have overlooked South Africa’s World Cup history, but Bafana Bafana will have another opportunity to prove doubters wrong on football’s biggest stage.
Gayton McKenzie World Cup decision divides SA
Briefly News recently reported that Gayton McKenzie divided South Africans after confirming that members of Bafana Bafana’s 2010 FIFA World Cup squad would travel to Mexico for the 2026 tournament.
The decision sparked mixed reactions online, with some supporters questioning the costs while others praised the move as a tribute to South Africa’s football history.
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Source: Briefly News
