South Africa at the FIFA World Cup
This is a record of South Africa's results at the FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup, usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.
The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase, and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 32 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.[1]
South Africa have appeared in the FIFA World Cup on three occasions in 1998, 2002, and 2010.
Although South Africa has made three appearances in the World Cup, they have not made it past the first round. The team's first attempt to qualify as for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The team finished second in their group, behind Nigeria, who went on to play at the World Cup. Their first appearance was in France 1998, six years after they had been readmitted to the global football family. Despite a 3–0 drubbing to France in their opening game, they went on to draw against Denmark and Saudi Arabia, the team finished third and thus exited the tournament. Korea/Japan 2002 was expected to be an opportunity for Bafana Bafana to step up to the next level but they were eliminated at the group stage despite drawing to Paraguay and beating Slovenia 1–0 for their first-ever World Cup win. The team finished third in their group, losing out to Paraguay on goals scored. The team failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup after finishing third in their qualifying group. Ghana won the group and progressed to the tournament, while Congo DR finished ahead of South Africa on head-to-head results. During the 2010 World Cup on their home soil, they beat France 2–1 and drew 1–1 to Mexico, but lost 0–3 to Uruguay. They lost out on progression to the round of 16, on goal difference, becoming the first World Cup host nation to fail to advance past the group stage.[2][3][4][5]
FIFA World Cup record
| FIFA World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
 1930
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Did not enter | |||||||
 1934
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 1938
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 1950
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 1954
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 1958
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 1962
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 1966
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Not admitted[6] | |||||||
 1970
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Banned | |||||||
 1974
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 1978
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 1982
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| 1986
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 1990
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 1994
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Did not qualify | |||||||
 1998
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Group stage | 24th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
  2002
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17th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |
| 2006
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Did not qualify | |||||||
 2010
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Group stage | 20th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
 2014
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Did not qualify | |||||||
 2018
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 2022
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 2026
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To be determined | |||||||
| Total | Group stage | 3/22 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 16 |
- *Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- **Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
| South Africa's World Cup record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Match | |||||
| Biggest Win | South Africa
1–0  Slovenia(8 June 2002; Daegu, South Korea) France 1–2 South Africa (22 June 2010; Bloemfontein, South Africa) | ||||
| Biggest Defeat | |||||
| Best Result | 17th place at the 2002 World Cup
| ||||
| Worst Result | 24th place at the 1998 World Cup
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France 1998
Template:1998 FIFA World Cup Group C
Head coach: Philippe Troussier
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Hans Vonk | 30 January 1970 (aged 28) | 0 |  Heerenveen
|
| 2 | DF | Themba Mnguni | 16 December 1973 (aged 24) | 3 | Mamelodi Sundowns
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| 3 | DF | David Nyathi | 22 March 1969 (aged 29) | 35 | St. Gallen
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| 4 | DF | Willem Jackson | 26 March 1972 (aged 26) | 12 | Orlando Pirates
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| 5 | DF | Mark Fish | 14 March 1974 (aged 24) | 37 | Bolton Wanderers
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| 6 | FW | Phil Masinga | 28 June 1969 (aged 28) | 41 | Bari
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| 7 | MF | Quinton Fortune | 21 May 1977 (aged 21) | 6 | Atlético Madrid
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| 8 | MF | Alfred Phiri | 22 June 1974 (aged 23) | 2 |  Vanspor
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| 9 | FW | Shaun Bartlett | 31 October 1972 (aged 25) | 29 | Cape Town Spurs
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| 10 | MF | John Moshoeu | 18 December 1965 (aged 32) | 44 | Fenerbahçe
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| 11 | MF | Helman Mkhalele | 20 October 1969 (aged 28) | 35 | Kayserispor
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| 12 | FW | Brendan Augustine | 26 October 1971 (aged 26) | 26 |  LASK Linz
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| 13 | FW | Delron Buckley | 7 December 1977 (aged 20) | 0 | VfL Bochum
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| 14 | FW | Jerry Sikhosana | 8 June 1969 (aged 29) | 9 | Orlando Pirates
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| 15 | MF | Doctor Khumalo | 26 June 1967 (aged 30) | 43 | Kaizer Chiefs
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| 16 | GK | Brian Baloyi | 16 March 1974 (aged 24) | 8 | Kaizer Chiefs
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| 17 | FW | Benni McCarthy | 12 November 1977 (aged 20) | 10 | Ajax
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| 18 | MF | Lebohang Morula | 22 December 1968 (aged 29) | 0 | Vanspor
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| 19 | DF | Lucas Radebe (c) | 12 April 1969 (aged 29) | 41 | Leeds United
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| 20 | MF | William Mokoena | 31 March 1975 (aged 23) | 0 | Manning Rangers
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| 21 | DF | Pierre Issa | 12 September 1975 (aged 22) | 1 | Marseille
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| 22 | GK | Paul Evans* | 28 December 1973 (aged 24) | 0 | Supersport United
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| 23 | GK | Simon Gopane* | 26 December 1970 (aged 27) | 1 | Bloemfontein Celtic
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- Andre Arendse (#22) was injured before the start of the tournament. His replacement, Paul Evans, was also injured shortly after arriving as a replacement. Simon Gopane was then called up, and sat on the bench for the last two matches.
France vs South Africa
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South Africa vs Denmark
Benni McCarthy scored South Africa's first ever goal in the World Cup when he received the ball on the edge of the penalty box before shooting low left footed through the legs of Peter Schmeichel to level the match.
| South Africa | 1–1 |  Denmark |
|---|---|---|
McCarthy  51' |
Report | Nielsen 12' |
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South Africa vs Saudi Arabia
| South Africa | 2–2 |  Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Bartlett 18', 90+3' (pen.) |
Report | Al-Jaber 45+2' (pen.) Al-Thunayan 74' (pen.) |
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Korea/Japan 2002
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain
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3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Paraguay
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3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | South Africa
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3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Slovenia
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3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
Head coach: Jomo Sono
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Hans Vonk | 30 January 1970 (aged 32) | 29 | Heerenveen
|
| 2 | DF | Cyril Nzama | 26 June 1974 (aged 27) | 19 | Kaizer Chiefs
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| 3 | DF | Bradley Carnell | 21 January 1977 (aged 25) | 21 | VfB Stuttgart
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| 4 | DF | Aaron Mokoena | 25 November 1980 (aged 21) | 22 |  Beerschot
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| 5 | DF | Jacob Lekgetho | 24 March 1974 (aged 28) | 15 | Lokomotiv Moscow
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| 6 | MF | MacBeth Sibaya | 25 November 1977 (aged 24) | 9 | Jomo Cosmos
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| 7 | MF | Quinton Fortune | 21 May 1977 (aged 25) | 39 | Manchester United
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| 8 | MF | Thabo Mngomeni | 24 June 1969 (aged 32) | 37 | Orlando Pirates
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| 9 | MF | MacDonald Mukansi | 26 May 1975 (aged 27) | 7 |  Lokomotiv Sofia
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| 10 | MF | Bennett Mnguni | 18 March 1974 (aged 28) | 9 | Lokomotiv Moscow
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| 11 | MF | Jabu Pule | 11 July 1980 (aged 21) | 9 | Kaizer Chiefs
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| 12 | MF | Teboho Mokoena | 10 July 1974 (aged 27) | 10 | St. Gallen
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| 13 | DF | Pierre Issa | 12 September 1975 (aged 26) | 41 | Watford
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| 14 | FW | Siyabonga Nomvethe | 2 December 1977 (aged 24) | 30 | Udinese
|
| 15 | MF | Sibusiso Zuma | 23 June 1975 (aged 26) | 22 | Copenhagen
|
| 16 | GK | André Arendse | 27 June 1967 (aged 34) | 49 | Santos Cape Town
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| 17 | FW | Benni McCarthy | 12 November 1977 (aged 24) | 43 |  Porto
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| 18 | MF | Delron Buckley | 7 December 1977 (aged 24) | 32 | VfL Bochum
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| 19 | DF | Lucas Radebe (c) | 12 April 1969 (aged 33) | 65 | Leeds United
|
| 20 | GK | Calvin Marlin | 20 April 1976 (aged 26) | 2 | Ajax Cape Town
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| 21 | MF | Steven Pienaar | 17 March 1982 (aged 20) | 0 | Ajax
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| 22 | DF | Thabang Molefe | 11 April 1979 (aged 23) | 5 | Jomo Cosmos
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| 23 | FW | George Koumantarakis | 27 March 1974 (aged 28) | 6 | Basel
|
Paraguay vs South Africa
| Paraguay | 2–2 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz 39' Arce 55' |
Report | Mokoena 63' Fortune 90+1' (pen.) |
       Paraguay
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   South Africa
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Man of the Match:
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South Africa vs Slovenia
Siyabonga Nomvethe scored the only goal of the game, in the fourth minute. A free kick from Quinton Fortune on the left came to Nomvethe and although he mistimed his header, the ball cannoned into the net off his thigh.
| South Africa | 1–0 | Slovenia |
|---|---|---|
| Nomvethe 4' |
Report |
South Africa
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 Slovenia
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South Africa vs Spain
   South Africa
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    Spain
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South Africa 2010
Template:2010 FIFA World Cup Group A
Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Moeneeb Josephs | 19 May 1980 (aged 30) | 17 | Orlando Pirates
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| 2 | DF | Siboniso Gaxa | 6 April 1984 (aged 26) | 37 | Mamelodi Sundowns
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| 3 | DF | Tsepo Masilela | 5 May 1985 (aged 25) | 31 |  Maccabi Haifa
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| 4 | DF | Aaron Mokoena (c) | 25 November 1980 (aged 29) | 101 | Portsmouth
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| 5 | DF | Anele Ngcongca | 20 October 1987 (aged 22) | 5 | Genk
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| 6 | MF | MacBeth Sibaya | 25 November 1977 (aged 32) | 58 | Rubin Kazan
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| 7 | MF | Lance Davids | 11 April 1985 (aged 25) | 22 | Ajax Cape Town
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| 8 | MF | Siphiwe Tshabalala | 25 September 1984 (aged 25) | 48 | Kaizer Chiefs
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| 9 | FW | Katlego Mphela | 29 November 1984 (aged 25) | 31 | Mamelodi Sundowns
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| 10 | MF | Steven Pienaar | 17 March 1982 (aged 28) | 50 | Everton
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| 11 | MF | Teko Modise | 22 December 1982 (aged 27) | 52 | Orlando Pirates
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| 12 | MF | Reneilwe Letsholonyane | 9 June 1982 (aged 28) | 13 | Kaizer Chiefs
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| 13 | MF | Kagisho Dikgacoi | 24 November 1984 (aged 25) | 37 | Fulham
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| 14 | DF | Matthew Booth | 14 March 1977 (aged 33) | 27 | Mamelodi Sundowns
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| 15 | DF | Lucas Thwala | 19 October 1981 (aged 28) | 24 | Orlando Pirates
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| 16 | GK | Itumeleng Khune | 20 June 1987 (aged 22) | 27 | Kaizer Chiefs
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| 17 | FW | Bernard Parker | 16 March 1986 (aged 24) | 28 | Twente
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| 18 | FW | Siyabonga Nomvethe | 2 December 1977 (aged 32) | 76 | Moroka Swallows
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| 19 | MF | Surprise Moriri | 20 March 1980 (aged 30) | 34 | Mamelodi Sundowns
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| 20 | DF | Bongani Khumalo | 6 January 1987 (aged 23) | 14 | Supersport United
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| 21 | DF | Siyabonga Sangweni | 29 September 1981 (aged 28) | 8 | Golden Arrows
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| 22 | GK | Shu-Aib Walters | 26 December 1981 (aged 28) | 0 | Maritzburg United
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| 23 | MF | Thanduyise Khuboni | 23 May 1986 (aged 24) | 9 | Golden Arrows
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South Africa vs Mexico
South Africa vs Mexico was the opening match of the World Cup, held on 11 June 2010.[7] It was described as an "enthralling" and "pulsating" match. South Africa opened the scoring in the 55th minute after Siphiwe Tshabalala scored off a pass through Mexico's defence by Teko Modise. Mexico's captain Rafael Márquez equalised following a corner kick in the 79th minute.[8] In the final minutes of the match, Katlego Mphela almost scored a winning goal for South Africa, but his shot bounced off the post.[7]
Tshabalala was named as the man of the match. South Africa's coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira called the result "fair", while Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre stated "we could have won, we could have lost".[9]
| South Africa | 1–1 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Tshabalala 55' |
Report | Márquez 79' |
     South Africa[11]
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     Mexico[11]
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South Africa vs Uruguay
| South Africa | 0–3 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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South Africa[12]
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     Uruguay[12]
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France vs South Africa
Two teams have met three times but recently in the 1998 FIFA World Cup won by France 3–0.
Bongani Khumalo scored the first goal to make it 1–0 in 25th minute Yoann Gourcuff was shown a red card after a serious foul, Katlego Mphela made it 2–0 in half-time, South Africa made several chances in second half, Hugo Lloris saved Katlego Mphela's shot to make a third goal, Bacary Sagna made a back pass to the French player Florent Malouda scored a goal to make it 2–1 from an assist by Franck Ribéry, South Africa made even more chances in second half, 2-1 was the final score of the match. France were eliminated from the World Cup with a single point in the Group stage.
Although South Africa became the first host nation to exit the World Cup group stage in history.
| France | 1–2 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Malouda 70' |
Report |
     France[13]
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South Africa[13]
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Man of the Match:
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Record players
| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quinton Fortune | 6 | 1998 and 2002 |
| Benni McCarthy | 6 | 1998 and 2002 | |
| Lucas Radebe | 6 | 1998 and 2002 | |
| Aaron Mokoena | 6 | 2002 and 2010 | |
| 5 | Pierre Issa | 4 | 1998 and 2002 |
| MacBeth Sibaya | 4 | 2002 and 2010 | |
| 7 | 21 players | 3 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Bartlett | 2 | 1998 |
| Benni McCarthy | 2 | 1998 and 2002 | |
| 3 | Quinton Fortune | 1 | 2002 |
| Teboho Mokoena | 1 | 2002 | |
| Siyabonga Nomvethe | 1 | 2002 | |
| Lucas Radebe | 1 | 2002 | |
| Bongani Khumalo | 1 | 2010 | |
| Katlego Mphela | 1 | 2010 | |
| Siphiwe Tshabalala | 1 | 2010 |
References
- ^ 2006 FIFA World Cup TV Coverage (PDF), FIFA.com. Retrieved on June 6, 2007.
- ^ "South Africa beat red-faced France and both bow out". Guardian UK. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "France 1 South Africa 2". Daily Telegraph. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "France 1 South Africa 2". BBC Sport. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Performance of host countries in previous World Cups". The Business Standard. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "History of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition (by year)" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ a b Holt, Oliver (11 June 2010). "South Africa 1-1 Mexico: The Daily Mirror match report". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ Maasdorp, James (12 June 2010). "South Africa draws in pulsating WC opener". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ Tongue, Steve (12 June 2010). "Marquez damps down incendiary show of South African pride". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Match Appointments" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group A – South Africa-Mexico" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group A – South Africa-Uruguay" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group A – France-South Africa" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2010.