1992–1994: Readmission

After spending nearly two decades in international isolation, the South African national team played its first game on 7 July 1992, beating Cameroon 1–0 at Kings Park in Durban.

The team entered the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and was placed in Group 5, along with Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They won one game, away to Mauritius, and drew with Mauritius and Zimbabwe at home. The team finished third in the group and failed to qualify.

For the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers South Africa was placed in Group D, along with Congo, Libya and Nigeria. Libya withdrew from the qualifiers. South Africa beat Congo home and away. They drew with Nigeria at home and lost away. South Africa finished second in the group, and failed to qualify for the next stage of the qualifiers.

1996–1998: Rise

In 1996, a mere 5 years after readmission, South Africa achieved their finest moment when they hosted (and won) the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, in the process reaching the lofty heights of 16th in the FIFA rankings. The shock firing of Cup of Nations winning coach Clive Barker did little to slow momentum as they followed their 1996 success with a second-place finish at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations after Egypt under Jomo Sono. The team had earned their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup, qualifying for France '98. Under head coach Philippe Troussier, South Africa suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat to hosts France in their World Cup debut, but played credibly against other group opponents Denmark and Asian juggernauts Saudi Arabia, earning 1–1 and 2–2 draws respectively on their way to an early exit.

2000–2002: Peak and coaching instability

Following their successful 1996 and 1998 Africa Cup of Nations' campaigns and their World Cup debut in 1998, South Africa were seen as a growing power on the continent. Under the coaching of the newly hired Trott Moloto they would start the decade off strongly, finishing third in the 2000 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, but as was increasingly symptomatic of soccer in South Africa at the national level, yet another coaching change was made. Portuguese Carlos Queiroz was hired as the man to take South Africa to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. South Africa qualified for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations and were eliminated in the quarter-finals against hosts Mali. In the run-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, for which South Africa had easily qualified as winners of Group E, Queiroz left his post as head coach amid increasing behind-the-scenes political wrangling.

Former legend Jomo Sono was brought back in a caretaker capacity to lead South Africa in Korea/Japan. Placed in Group B along with Spain, Paraguay and debutants Slovenia at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, South Africa had high hopes of progressing to the knockout phase of the tournament. After earning a 2–2 draw against Paraguay in their opening game with a last-gasp penalty from Quinton Fortune and following it up with their first-ever victory at the finals with a 1–0 win over Slovenia, South Africa headed into their final game against Spain second in the group and 3 points clear of Paraguay and Slovenia. In arguably the game of the group, in which 5 goals were scored inside the hour, South Africa twice came from a goal down in an agonising 3–2 defeat to the Spanish. In the other game, which kicked off at the same time as the South Africa-Spain game, Paraguay found themselves beating Slovenia 2–1, but the result was not enough for Paraguay to surpass South Africa in the standings as South Africa's goal difference of zero was superior to Paraguay's minus one. But South African hearts would be broken. With 84 minutes gone in the Slovenia-Paraguay game Nelson Cuevas bagged a vital third goal for Paraguay, giving Paraguay a 3–1 victory over Slovenia. The win left both Paraguay and South Africa level on 4 points with the late Cuevas strike against Slovenia lifting Paraguay's goal difference to zero, level with South Africa's. The deciding factor moved onto a third tiebreaker; goals scored, and as Paraguay had scored six goals to South Africa's five, they progressed to the Round of 16 at the expense of South Africa. What made the early exit all the more heartbreaking was that South Africa was the only team in the group that managed to hold its own against runaway group winners Spain, as both Slovenia and Paraguay were comfortably cast aside 3–1 by the Spanish.

This era (1996–2002) of rising soccer prowess saw South Africa blessed with fine footballers such as record-setting goalscorers Benni McCarthy & Shaun Bartlett, defensive hardmen and inspirational captains Lucas Radebe & Neil Tovey, creative maestros John Moshoeu & Doctor Khumalo and defensive stalwart Mark Fish.

2002–2006: Decline and coaching roundabout

In the period following the 2002 World Cup and leading up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, South Africa would go through 4 head coaches; Ephraim Mashaba (2002–2004), April Phumo (2004), Stuart Baxter (2004–2005), Ted Dumitru (2005–2006) and caretaker Pitso Mosimane (2006). Neither coach was able to match the successes seen in the period 1996–2002 as South Africa failed to progress beyond the group stages in either the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations or 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, failing to register a single goal in the latter. Above all though, South Africa failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After being placed in Group 2 for qualifying, South Africa were beaten to Germany by Ghana. Following poor performances in both the 2004 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, rumours circulated that SAFA had been attempting to attract a high-profile international manager to coach Bafana Bafana and that former England boss Sven-Göran Eriksson had been targeted. This rumour however has been denied.

2007–2010: Hosting the World Cup

South Africa vs Uruguay at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

By failing to register a single goal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations and by missing out on Germany 2006, local supporters had become increasingly unhappy with the decline in the performance of the national team. In light of these poor performances, it was decided that the hiring of a more experienced manager was essential. Former World Cup-winner and Brazil national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was approached for the job and he accepted. He signed a R100 million contract covering four years. His term as manager started 1 January 2007 targeting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which South Africa had been awarded the right to host, becoming the first African nation to ever host association football's global showpiece.

Under Parreira, with his rich history of success at the international level, South Africa was expected to improve, but early signs were not good as they would exit the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations at the first hurdle once again. To make matters worse, Parreira stood down as coach in April 2008 due to family reasons. Joel Santana was hand-picked by Parreira to succeed him and he was signed to coach the team until 2010.^[16] Under Santana South Africa would slide into its darkest period in international soccer since readmission. Failing to even qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations with soccer characterised by a complete lack of creativity and little goal-scoring threat, South Africa tumbled down the FIFA rankings and was at one point not even ranked among Africa's top-10 nations. Santana was fired in 2009 and Parreira would return in time for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup – also hosted by South Africa – and South Africa would see an improvement in performance, holding its own against eventual world champions Spain and perennial powerhouse Brazil, the latter requiring an 88th-minute goal to overcome South Africa in the semi-finals. South Africa would ultimately finish 4th, following a thrilling 3–2 loss to the Spanish in the 3rd/4th Place Playoff.

A string of victories, albeit against marginal opposition, in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup seemed to instill a sense of confidence in the team as well as the nation. For the 2010 World Cup, the first in Africa, South Africa was placed in Group A, along with Mexico, surprise package and eventual semi-finalists Uruguay and former world champions France. South Africa played the first game, which opened the World Cup 2010 tournament with a 1–1 draw against Mexico after taking the lead through a long-range Siphiwe Tshabalala strike. Katlego Mphela would hit the post late into the game as South Africa, buoyed by a frenzied home crowd, so very nearly opened the tournament with a win. A heavy 3–0 defeat in the second group game against Uruguay and a Mexican win over France left South Africa with a mountain to climb in order to progress beyond the group stage. For the deciding match against France, Parreira would discard his previous tactics of a defensive-minded five-man midfield and a lone forward in favour of a more attacking formation utilising two forwards, as up until the France game South Africa had focused more on not losing than they did on trying to win, but the heavy defeat against Uruguay coupled with Mexico's victory over France had now left them with a goal difference of negative three that needed to be overcome in order for them to progress. South Africa would also require a favour from Uruguay, needing the Uruguayans to inflict a sizeable defeat on Mexico to aid their chances of progress. The change in tactics worked as South Africa gained the upper hand over the French, attacking at will. At the half, South Africa had a 2–0 lead thanks to goals from Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela while Uruguay were beating Mexico 1–0 in the other group game. As it stood, South Africa needed at least one more goal against France while Uruguay needed to double their lead against Mexico. It was not to be as while South Africa did secure a historic victory over France, they failed to score again and conceded a late goal for a 2–1 victory while the Uruguayans had failed to add to their lead, as they ran out 1–0 victors over Mexico. For the second World Cup in a row, South Africa finished level on points with second place but were eliminated, this time on goal difference while it had been on goals scored in 2002. Elimination in the group stage made South Africa the first host to fail to progress beyond the first round of a World Cup.

South Africa-France starting lineups 2010-06-22

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Uruguay	3	2	1	0	4	0	+4	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Mexico	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
3	South Africa (H)	3	1	1	1	3	5	−2	4
4	France	3	0	1	2	1	4	−3	1

Following the conclusion of the World Cup and the expiration of his contract, Carlos Alberto Parreira announced his retirement from coaching. As part of his contract, Parreira had also drawn up a plan of recommendations extending as far as soccer development at grassroots level that SAFA was encouraged to review in the hopes of reviving the fortunes of the national soccer team. Pitso Mosimane, who had been Parreira's assistant, was selected as the new head coach with Parreira's blessings.

2012–2014: Continued struggles

South Africa failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations finals after the rules were misread.^[17] They ultimately played for and achieved a draw at home in Nelspruit against Sierra Leone in a game they needed to win, when news about Niger trailing in Egypt was received, leading to the qualification of Niger at their expense, and also at Sierra Leone's. They then celebrated at the end as if they had qualified, making it the second time they would be so embarrassed in 4 years after qualifying as a lucky 3rd and last best runners-up for the 2008 edition, with Zambia catapulting over South Africa as Group winners after a 3–1 win in Cape Town – and thereby gaining an automatic qualifying ticket on the head-to-head record with the South Africans erroneously thinking goal difference would be the primary tie-breaker.^[18]

The SABC also announced that the team had qualified and the SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani then congratulated the team on TV before realisation dawned.^[19] SAFA said they would appeal to CAF but the appeal was later withdrawn.^[20][21]

South Africa continued to disappoint into 2012, opening the year with a lacklustre 0–0 draw away to 2012 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts Equatorial Guinea. This would be the start of a run that would see Bafana Bafana rack up 6 successive draws to start the year. The run of draws included 1–1, 0–0 and 1–1 draws at home to African champions Zambia, Ghana and Senegal respectively in International Friendlies. Following a 1–1 draw at home to Ethiopia in a 2014 World Cup qualifier, head coach Pitso Mosimane was fired.^[22] The draw increased South Africa's streak to 7 games without a win. Mosimane was replaced as head coach by Steve Komphela on an interim basis while SAFA interviewed potential candidates to fill the post on a permanent basis.

In his first game in charge as interim head coach, Komphela oversaw yet another uninspired performance in South Africa's second World Cup qualifier against Botswana as they drew yet again, extending their winless run to 8 games. Bafana Bafana finally tasted victory when they defeated Gabon 3–0 at home in a friendly, ending their winless streak.

Komphela, along with Gordon Igesund, Gavin Hunt, Neil Tovey and Ephraim Shakes Mashaba had been shortlisted as one of the candidates to be the next head coach of South Africa,^[23] with Komphela and Igesund emerging as the front-runners.^[24] On 30 June 2012, Gordon Igesund was appointed as the new head coach.^[25]

Following the crisis in Libya throughout 2011, CAF made the decision to move the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations from Libya – who were the original hosts – to South Africa on the grounds of safety and security. Libya was then given the right to host the 2017 edition of the tournament, which was originally awarded to South Africa.^[26] As hosts of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa would automatically qualify for the competition.

South Africa, as hosts, were seeded and drawn in Group A along with Angola, Morocco and tournament debutants Cape Verde.^[27]

South Africa kicked the tournament off on 19 January against debutants Cape Verde at a wet National Stadium. South Africa made use of a defensive formation as coach Gordon Igesund deployed two deep midfielders in Kagisho Dikgacoi and Reneilwe Letsholonyane and along with the poor weather conditions delivered an uninspired performance resulting in a 0–0 draw. In the hosts' second group game against Angola, coach Igesund dropped his midfield pairing of Dikgacoi and Letsholonyane and opted for a new midfield pairing of the defensive minded Dean Furman and the more attacking May Mahlangu. The result was a far more confident display as Dean Furman took control of the midfield – something that was lacking in the first game – and delivered a man of the match performance. South Africa ran out winners with goals from Siyabonga Sangweni and Lehlohonolo Majoro setting up a 2–0 victory. Heading into the final group game against Morocco South Africa only had to avoid defeat in order to progress to the knockout stages while Morocco needed a win to progress. South Africa put in a woeful first-half performance that saw them 1–0 down at halftime and struggling with the Moroccans' direct approach. It was only thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who pulled off a string of stunning saves, that South Africa were not further behind. An improved second half saw South Africa fight back with an equaliser from May Mahlangu, but South Africa continued to look vulnerable against Morocco's direct approach and subsequently fell behind again in the 81st minute. But typical of their improved tenacity in the second half South Africa swiftly responded through a Siyabonga Sangweni equaliser in the 86th minute. South Africa hung on to the draw, with the result enough to see them win group A and progress to the quarterfinals. Sangweni's late equaliser would prove vital as an injury time winner by Cape Verde in their final game against Angola would have seen Morocco and Cape Verde progress at the expense of South Africa, but as it was South Africa went through along with Cape Verde, who enjoyed a stunning debut in Africa's showpiece tournament.

South Africa were drawn against Group B runners-up Mali in the quarterfinals. South Africa delivered a stunning first-half performance, playing at a high tempo to negate the Malians' superior physical presence. Unable to keep up with the pace of the game, Mali were overwhelmed as South Africa carved out chance after chance, finally making the breakthrough in the 31st minute as Thuso Phala drove into the box and fired a low cross across the goalmouth which an open Tokelo Rantie pounced on. South Africa headed into the break 1–0 up. However, in the second half, led by veteran midfielder and captain Seydou Keita, the Malians began to impose themselves and equalised in the 58th minute amid a momentary defensive collapse as the South African defense allowed captain Keita to head home an unchallenged cross. From that point on it was Mali that controlled the game. Neither side was able to secure a winner and the game headed into extra time. After another goalless 30 minutes, the game moved to penalties. Siphiwe Tshabalala took the first penalty and gave South Africa the lead with a stunningly placed shot into the top left corner. Cheick Diabaté would swiftly respond. Then South Africa's tournament proceeded to unravel. Dean Furman was next up for South Africa but he saw his weak shot easily saved by goalkeeper Soumbeïla Diakité. Adama Tamboura would score Mali's second penalty handing them the advantage. In an almost carbon copy of Furman's penalty, May Mahlangu's penalty was also easily saved low to the left by goalkeeper Diakité. Mahamane Traoré confidently dispatched Mali's third penalty, handing them a comfortable 3–1 cushion. Lehlohonolo Majoro was next up for South Africa but the pressure was too much as he fired a wild shot high and to the right of the goal. With the miss, South Africa were eliminated from the tournament 3–1 on penalties.

After a poor 2012 in which South Africa had performed poorly and had steadily slid down FIFA's rankings, their performance in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations was a marked improvement. Although coach Gordon Igesund had been handed the almost impossible task of a semifinal berth as a target in his contract, SAFA came out and said the signs of improvement were sufficient enough for Igesund's job to remain safe.

South Africa received a First round bye when the qualifying process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup got underway on 30 July 2011. For the Second round of the qualifying process, South Africa was placed in Pot 1 as a top-seeded nation for the draw from where they were drawn into Group A, along with neighbors Botswana, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia. South Africa opened their qualifying campaign with a dismal performance, struggling to overcome a one-goal deficit in a 1–1 home draw with Ethiopia, a nation ranked nearly 70 places below them. This result, coupled with the less than an inspiring string of results that had seen South Africa winless in the past 6 outings that preceded it, resulted in the sacking of head coach Pitso Mosimane. Under interim head coach Steve Khompela, South Africa played out to yet another uninspiring 1–1 draw, this time away to Botswana.

Following on from a positive display in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Gordon Igesund guided South Africa to their first victory in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers as they beat the Central African Republic 2–0 in Cape Town. South Africa continued their push for a place at the World Cup with a 3–0 win over the Central African Republic on 8 June. South Africa endured a difficult build-up to the game as they were only able to practice once before the game due to a delayed connecting flight, but they performed admirably against their physical opponents on a bumpy pitch. The win was South Africa's first away win in a World Cup qualifier since 2005. Ethiopia also won their match away to Botswana on the same day, maintaining their 2-point lead over South Africa.

South Africa and Ethiopia met in a potential group decider in Addis Ababa on 16 June, with the Ethiopians going undefeated at home in 12 games. South Africa were under pressure from the kick-off and as early as the 3rd-minute goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was forced into a stunning save. South Africa would recover to take a 1–0 lead through a stunning left-footed half volley from Bernard Parker in the 33rd minute. The lead was short-lived as Ethiopia equalised in the 44th minute following a defensive lapse by South Africa when they failed to deal with a loose ball on the edge of the box. Ethiopia would secure the win thanks to a stunning own goal by Bernard Parker in the 70th minute as he headed the ball into his own net from a free-kick. The 2–1 defeat ended South Africa's qualification hopes and assured Ethiopia passage to the third and final round of qualifying. However, following the match it emerged that Ethiopia were under investigation for fielding an ineligible player during their 2–1 win over Botswana and that they could face losing the 3 points and have the result reversed to a 3–0 defeat, as in line with FIFA sanctions. This would give South Africa an outside chance of qualifying for Brazil. Ethiopia later admitted to the error.^[28] On Tuesday, 19 June, it was reported in the South African press that Ethiopia had again fielded the same player against South Africa with the player still to serve his one-match ban and it might be possible that Ethiopia could face losing another 3 points to South Africa. Should this happen, South Africa would then qualify for the next round at the expense of Ethiopia.^[29]

South Africa failed to qualify. These were the final standings:

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Ethiopia	6	4	1	1	8	6	+2	13		—	2–1	1–0	2–0
South Africa	6	3	2	1	12	5	+7	11		1–1	—	4–1	2–0
Botswana	6	2	1	3	8	10	−2	7		3–0[lower-alpha 1]	1–1	—	3–2
Central African Republic	6	1	0	5	5	12	−7	3		1–2	0–3	2–0	—

2014–2016

South Africa's first match under new coach, Ephraim Mashaba was a Group A qualifying match for AFCON 2015, played at Al-Merrikh Stadium against Sudan on 5 September 2014. South Africa won the match 3–0 with two goals from Sibusiso Vilakazi in the 55th and 61st minutes and a goal from Bongani Ndulula in the 78th minute.^[30] South Africa's second match in the AFCON qualifiers was a home match at Cape Town Stadium against Nigeria on 10 September. South Africa held off the defending AFCON champions for a 0–0 draw.^[31] Following these two matches, Bafana Bafana moved up two places to 67th in the FIFA world ranking.^[32]

South Africa then took on Congo at the Stade Municipal de Pointe-Noire on 11 October. The game was won 2–0 with goals from Bongani Ndulula and Tokelo Rantie in the second half. This victory brought South Africa to the top of Group A.^[33] Next was the return match in Polokwane's Peter Mokaba Stadium. The game ended in a 0–0 stalemate which kept South Africa at the top of the group.^[34] Following these two matches, South Africa climbed ten places in the FIFA rankings to no. 57.^[35]

Next up was the second match against Sudan on 15 November which was won 2–1, with goals from Thulani Serero in the 37th minute, and Tokelo Rantie in the 54th minute. The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, but it was moved to the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in honour of captain and goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa who was shot and killed two weeks prior to the game. Coach Ephraim Mashaba said the win was for the fallen hero, who had not conceded a goal in the four qualifiers he had played. The result sealed qualification for South Africa, with an away game versus Nigeria to spare. It was the first time since 2008 that Bafana managed to qualify for the tournament (in 2013 they qualified as hosts after Libya exchanged their rights for security reasons).^[36][37]

The last game of the qualifiers was on 19 November at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria. It ended 2–2, therefore eliminating Nigeria and denying them the chance to defend their crown at 2015 AFCON. The coach Ephraim Mashaba had earlier said that South Africa would not do Nigeria any favours. It showed in the way that the South Africans approached the match. Tokelo Rantie missed a sitter in the fourth minute when he fluffed his chance over the bar, but he made amends when he opened the scoring in the 42nd minute after a neat pass from Dean Furman. It looked as if South Africa would get their first competitive win over Nigeria when Rantie doubled his and his country's tally in the 48th minute. But it wasn't to be, as they failed to hold on for a historic win. Nigeria came back to draw 2–2 but it wasn't enough to secure Nigeria's qualification as Congo beat Sudan 1–0 to book their place at the tournament.

Under Mashaba, South Africa failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. This, in addition to the various controversies, disparaging remarks that Mashaba allegedly made about SAFA top officials, his supposedly arrogant nature and his ill-treatment of overseas-based stars, led to his suspension after leading South Africa to a 2−1 victory over Senegal in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

2017–present: promising generation

After being unable to reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Africa had undergone a systematic reformation and transformation to regain its status as an African soccer power. The reformation of South African soccer was aided by the successful rise of its under-age soccer, including the U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams that all achieved some African successes and participated in World tournaments at their levels.

South Africa qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finishing second and undefeated, with a shock 2–0 away win over Nigeria.^[38] South Africa participated in the tournament grouped with Morocco, Ivory Coast and Namibia, and narrowly qualified to the knockout stage with only a single 1–0 win over Namibia and had to face host Egypt (which had Mohamed Salah), winners of AFCON seven times and had just qualified for Russia 2018 World Cup.^[39] The South Africans then pulled out the biggest upset in the tournament, knocking Egypt out in the round of 16 stage with a 1–0 win in Cairo.^[40] Then, South Africa once again faced Nigeria in the quarter-finals, but there was no further upset as Nigeria prevailed 2–1, but it was regarded as South Africa's best performance in the 2010s.^[41]

Under Molefi Ntseki, South Africa failed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. Molefi Ntseki was promptly sacked and the Hugo Broos was announced as his replacement.

Broos immediately set out to restructure the national team and the veteran players (Including captain Thulani Hlatshwayo) of the team were replaced with an exciting and young crop of players. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was named as the captain with Percy Tau being named as the vice-captain.

Broos' efforts led South Africa to put in a credible performance in the second round of African qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where South Africa were placed in a group with Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. South Africa got off to a promising start, beating a weakened Ghana side 1–0 at home on Matchday 2 and going to the top of the group. South Africa remained at the top of the group until the final matchday when they lost 0–1 away to Ghana after a dubious penalty was awarded to Ghana in the first half. South Africa ultimately finished second to Ghana on goals scored, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final 10-team playoff round to qualify for the World Cup. South Africa qualified to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Liberia 2–1.

Nickname

"Bafana Bafana" is a nickname given to the national side by its fans. It is Swati and translates literally as "the boys, the boys". Its actual meaning in Nguni language is, "Go boys! Go boys!", though others take the double use of "Bafana" to mean "all of the boys"---the team and management, as well as the spectators; togetherness, as in the African concept of ubuntu.

In July 1992, at Kings Park stadium in Durban, fans shouted "Bafana Bafana" [GO BOYS GO BOYS] when South Africa was on the verge of beating Cameroon and after the game. A group of three journalists, from South Africa newspaper The Sowetan, then began to use the name in print when referring to the team. The name was initially used only informally, as SAFA felt that it was not commercially viable, and that it was degrading to refer to a team of men as boys.^[42]

Standton Woodrush Ltd applied to trademark the name in 1993. The trademark was granted but was for clothing only. In 1994, the team's technical sponsor at the time, Kappa, applied for the trademarks "Bafana" and "Bafana Bafana" in class 25. These were granted and subsequently passed on to SAFA. In 1997, SAFA filed for the trademark "Bafana Bafana" for all goods and services, in all classes.

SAFA then applied to have Standton Woodrush Ltd removed from the trademarks register, on the grounds that SAFA was the rightful owner of the name. The case was dismissed on the ground that SAFA was not an interested person within the meaning of this term as used in the Trade Marks Act No. 94 of 1993, which provides that only an interested party has legal standing to seek relief.

SAFA made another application to gain ownership of the trademark, with the second application going to the Appeal Court. The court again found that SAFA did not have the necessary grounds for ownership of the name in all classes. The court held that an intention to use a mark does not create a preference for registration, and that the proprietor of a trademark need not be its originator.

In 2011 SAFA paid R5 million to Standton Woodrush Ltd for rights to the name "Bafana Bafana", in class 25 and all other classes.^[43]

Home stadium

First game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa vs Mexico at Soccer City

The South Africa national soccer team does not use a single stadium as its home stadium for matches. Instead, they use a variety of stadiums throughout South Africa to host matches.

The largest venue used is the 94,700-seater Soccer City in Soweto, outside Johannesburg. Other often used venues include the Atteridgeville Super Stadium, outside Pretoria, the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, outside Rustenburg, the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein and Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Matches have also been hosted at Ellis Park and Johannesburg Stadium in Johannesburg, Kings Park in Durban, Olympia Park in Rustenburg, Cape Town Stadium and Newlands Stadium in Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the EPRU Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Griqua Park in Kimberley, Jan Smuts Stadium and Buffalo City Stadium in East London, Odi Stadium in Mabopane, Mmabatho Stadium in Mafikeng, Atlantic Stadium in Witbank and Olen Park in Potchefstroom.

The team has also hosted matches outside of South Africa. In preparation for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the team hosted a friendly in Baiersbronn, Germany. As a warm-up for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the team hosted a friendly at Mong Kok Stadium in Hong Kong. In 2006 the team hosted a Nelson Mandela Challenge match at Griffin Park, in London, England. During their preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the team hosted two matches in Germany. The matches were played at the BRITA-Arena in Wiesbaden and the Stadion am Bieberer Berg in Offenbach am Main.

Media coverage

The South African Football Association owns the rights to national team matches played in South Africa. SAFA currently has a contract with the South African Broadcasting Corporation, to broadcast these matches. It is up to the SABC to procure the rights to matches played outside of the country.

The SABC usually shows most national team games, though they have often had problems with broadcasting weekday matches. They have previously used delayed live footage,^[44] and sometimes not shown matches.^[45]

Most large tournaments in which the team play, such as the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, have separate broadcast rights. SuperSport purchase the pay TV rights to these tournaments, thus during these tournaments, they also show South African matches. The SABC usually holds the free to air rights to these tournaments, with the notable exception being the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Those matches were shown by e.tv.^[46]

Sponsors

When the team returned to international soccer in 1992, their kit was supplied by an Italian clothing company, Kappa. The team wore Kappa kits up to and during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.^[47]

Following the 1998 World Cup, the kits for all South African national soccer teams were supplied by German sports apparel company Adidas. The sponsorship deal is believed to be worth Rs 14 million per year.^[48] Their contract with the South African Football Association ran until the end of 2010.

On 7 June 2011, SAFA announced Puma as its new technical sponsor and unveiled Bafana Bafana's new kit.^[49][50]

In October 2013, ABSA announced its resignation as a sponsor of SAFA and the South African national team as of the end of their contract in December 2013. This was followed a week later by the announcement from Puma, that they too would step down as technical sponsors of Bafana Bafana.^[51]

From March 2014 until June 2020, the official kit provider was the American sporting apparel company Nike from the international friendly match against Brazil.

Since June 2020, the official kit provider has been French sporting apparel company Le Coq Sportif.^[52]

The team now has one main sponsor, Castle Lager, a brand owned by South African Breweries. Smaller sponsors and suppliers include Energade and Tsogo Sun Hotels.^[53]

In 2022, Banxso became the official online trading partner for the team.^[54]

Kit provider	Period
Kappa	1992–1997
Adidas	1998–2010
Puma	2011–2013
Nike	2014–2020
Le Coq Sportif	2020–present

2023

South Africa  v  Liberia

24 March 2023 AFCON qualification	South Africa	2–2	Liberia	Johannesburg, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2	Foster 11' (pen.), 22'	Report	Tisdell 68' Sangare 90+1'	Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)

Liberia  v  South Africa

28 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Liberia	1–2	South Africa	Monrovia, Liberia
16:00 UTC±0	Jebor 35'	Report	Lepasa 19' Mayambela 53'	Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Referee: Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana)

South Africa  v  Morocco

17 June 2023 AFCON qualification	South Africa	2–1	Morocco	Johannesburg, South Africa
17:00 UTC+2	Mohamedi 5' (o.g.) Lepasa 48'	Report	Ziyech 60'	Stadium: FNB Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad)

South Africa  v  Namibia

5 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	South Africa	1–1	Namibia	Durban
18:00	Human 48'	Report	Kambindu 43'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

South Africa  v  Botswana

8 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	South Africa	2–1	Botswana	Durban
15:00	Rayners 66' (pen.) Mogaila 68'	Report	Kgamanyane 63'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

South Africa  v  Eswatini

11 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	South Africa	2–1	Eswatini	KwaMashu
18:00	Mabasa 76', 88'	Report	Matsebula 51'	Stadium: Princess Magogo Stadium

South Africa  v  Zambia

14 July 2023 COSAFA Cup SF	South Africa	1–2	Zambia	KwaMashu
18:00	Mabasa 44'	Report	Mashata 50' Kangwanda 69'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

Malawi  v  South Africa

16 July 2023 COSAFA Cup 3rd	Malawi	0–0 (3–5 p)	South Africa	Durban
15:00		Report		Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

Zimbabwe  v  South Africa

September 2023 AFCON qualification

Zimbabwe

Cancelled

South Africa

South Africa  v  Namibia

9 September Friendly	South Africa	0–0	Namibia	Soweto, South Africa
20:00		Report		Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

South Africa  v  DR Congo

12 September Friendly	South Africa	1–0	DR Congo	Soweto, South Africa
22:00	Foster 25'	Report		Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

South Africa  v  Eswatini

13 October Friendly	South Africa	0–0	Eswatini	Johannesburg, South Africa
18:00		Report		Stadium: FNB Stadium Referee: Retselisitsoe Molise (Lesotho)

Ivory Coast  v  South Africa

17 October Friendly	Ivory Coast	1–1	South Africa	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
	Haller 66'	Report	Zwane 9'	Stadium: Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny

South Africa  v  Benin

18 November 2026 World Cup qualification	South Africa	2–1	Benin	Durban, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Tau 2' Mudau 45+2'	Report	Mounie 70'	Stadium: Moses Mabhida Stadium Referee: Mahmood Ismail (Sudan)

Rwanda  v  South Africa

21 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Rwanda	2–0	South Africa	Butare, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2	Nshuti 12' Mugisha 28'	Report		Stadium: Stade Huye Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)

2024

South Africa  v  Lesotho

10 January Friendly	South Africa	0–0	Lesotho	Pretoria, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2		Report		Stadium: Lucas Moripe Stadium

Mali  v  South Africa

16 January 2023 AFCON GS	Mali	v	South Africa	Korhogo, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0				Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium

Namibia  v  South Africa

21 January 2023 AFCON GS	Namibia	v	South Africa	Korhogo, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0				Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium

South Africa  v  Tunisia

24 January 2023 AFCON GS	South Africa	v	Tunisia	Korhogo, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC±0				Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium

Uruguay  v  South Africa

19 March Friendly	Uruguay	v	South Africa	Cincinnati, United States
				Stadium: TQL Stadium

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.^[55]

Caps and goals correct as of 21 November 2023, after the match against Rwanda.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Ronwen Williams	(1992-01-21) 21 January 1992	37	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
	1GK	Veli Mothwa	(1991-02-12) 12 February 1991	9	0	AmaZulu
	1GK	Ricardo Goss	(1994-04-02) 2 April 1994	2	0	SuperSport United
	2DF	Siyanda Xulu	(1991-12-30) 30 December 1991	27	1	Turan Tovuz
	2DF	Nyiko Mobbie	(1994-09-11) 11 September 1994	22	0	Sekhukhune United
	2DF	Aubrey Modiba	(1995-07-22) 22 July 1995	22	3	Mamelodi Sundowns
	2DF	Mothobi Mvala	(1994-06-14) 14 June 1994	18	1	Mamelodi Sundowns
	2DF	Grant Kekana	(1992-10-31) 31 October 1992	8	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
	2DF	Nkosinathi Sibisi	(1995-09-22) 22 September 1995	8	0	Orlando Pirates
	2DF	Khuliso Mudau	(1995-04-26) 26 April 1995	7	1	Mamelodi Sundowns
	2DF	Terrence Mashego	(1996-06-28) 28 June 1996	5	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
	2DF	Tapelo Xoki	(1995-04-10) 10 April 1995	0	0	Orlando Pirates
	3MF	Teboho Mokoena	(1997-01-24) 24 January 1997	28	4	Mamelodi Sundowns
	3MF	Thapelo Morena	(1993-08-06) 6 August 1993	17	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
	3MF	Sibongiseni Mthethwa	(1994-09-20) 20 September 1994	9	0	Kaizer Chiefs
	3MF	Sphephelo Sithole	(1999-03-03) 3 March 1999	9	0	Tondela
	3MF	Thabang Monare	(1989-09-16) 16 September 1989	4	0	Orlando Pirates
	3MF	Jayden Adams	(2001-05-05) 5 May 2001	3	0	Stellenbosch
	3MF	Thapelo Maseko	(2003-11-11) 11 November 2003	0	0	SuperSport United
	4FW	Percy Tau	(1994-05-13) 13 May 1994	42	15	Al Ahly
	4FW	Themba Zwane	(1989-08-03) 3 August 1989	37	7	AmaZulu
	4FW	Zakhele Lepasa	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997	11	3	Orlando Pirates
	4FW	Evidence Makgopa	(2000-06-05) 5 June 2000	10	3	Orlando Pirates
	4FW	Mihlali Mayambela	(1996-08-25) 25 August 1996	10	2	Aris Limassol
	4FW	Oswin Appollis	(2001-08-25) 25 August 2001	1	0	Polokwane City
	4FW	Elias Mokwana	(1999-09-08) 8 September 1999	0	0	Sekhukhune United

Recent call-ups

The following players were called up to a squad in the last 12 months. Caps and goals relate to the time at which the matches were played.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Bruce Bvuma	(1995-05-15) 15 May 1995	3	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
GK	Melusi Buthelezi	(1998-03-07) 7 March 1998	1	0	Orlando Pirates	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
GK	Sipho Chaine	(1996-12-14) 14 December 1996	0	0	Orlando Pirates	v.  Eswatini, 13 October 2023PRE
GK	Jethren Barr	(1995-09-13) 13 September 1995	3	0	Drogheda United	2023 COSAFA Cup, 16 July 2023
GK	Olwethu Mzimela	(2001-04-18) 18 April 2001	3	0	AmaZulu	2023 COSAFA Cup, 16 July 2023
GK	Khanya Mini	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998	0	0	Pretoria Callies	2023 COSAFA Cup, 16 July 2023
DF	Siyabonga Ngezana	(1997-07-15) 15 July 1997	2	0	FCSB	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Ime Okon	(2005-02-20) 20 February 2005	0	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Given Msimango	(1997-05-04) 4 May 1997	0	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	James Monyane	(2000-04-30) 30 April 2000	1	0	Orlando Pirates	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Miguel Timm	(1992-01-18) 18 January 1992	0	0	Orlando Pirates	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Bradley Cross	(2001-01-30) 30 January 2001	0	0	Golden Arrows	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Themba Mantshiyane	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996	0	0	Golden Arrows	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Innocent Maela	(1992-08-14) 14 August 1992	17	0	Orlando Pirates	v.  Eswatini, 13 October 2023PRE
DF	Lyle Lakay	(1991-08-17) 17 August 1991	11	1	Mamelodi Sundowns	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Katlego Mohamme	(1998-03-10) 10 March 1998	10	0	Mamelodi Sundowns	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Keegan Allan	(2000-08-07) 7 August 2000	3	0	Moroka Swallows	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Bonginkosi Makume	(1995-11-07) 7 November 1995	1	0	Maritzburg United	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Ethan Brooks	(2001-03-01) 1 March 2001	13	0	AmaZulu	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Njabulo Blom	(1999-12-11) 11 December 1999	2	0	St Louis City SC	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Grant Margeman	(1998-06-03) 3 June 1998	3	1	SuperSport United	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Bathusi Aubaas	(1998-07-11) 11 July 1998	3	0	Mamelodi Sundowns	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Mlungisi Mbunjana	(1990-08-26) 26 August 1990	4	0	TS Galaxy	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Goodman Mosele	(1999-11-18) 18 November 1999	0	0	Orlando Pirates	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Fawaaz Basadien	(1996-12-23) 23 December 1996	0	0	Stellenbosch	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Tshepang Moremi	(2000-10-02) 2 October 2000	0	0	AmaZulu	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Mduduzi Mdantsane	(1994-12-13) 13 December 1994	2	0	Kaizer Chiefs	v.  Ivory Coast, 17 October 2023
MF	Luke Le Roux	(2000-03-10) 10 March 2000	5	0	FC Volendam	v.  Eswatini, 13 October 2023PRE
MF	Rowan Human	(2001-01-21) 21 January 2001	8	1	Maritzburg United	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Thabo Cele	(1997-01-15) 15 January 1997	5	0	Fakel Voronezh	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Shaune Mogaila	(1995-06-17) 17 June 1995	5	1	Royal AM	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Lesedi Kapinga	(1995-05-25) 25 May 1995	4	0	Orlando Pirates	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Shadrack Kobedi	(1995-11-20) 20 November 1995	4	0	Royal AM	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Lesego Sebetlela	(1999-06-01) 1 June 1999	4	0	MM Platinum	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Mogamat May	(1998-06-11) 11 June 1998	2	0	Cape Town City	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Luvuyo Phewa	(1999-11-08) 8 November 1999	0	0	Cape Town Spurs	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Lebo Mothiba	(1996-01-28) 28 January 1996	18	4	Strasbourg	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Bongokuhle Hlongwane	(2000-06-20) 20 June 2000	19	4	Minnesota United	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Lyle Foster	(2000-05-09) 9 May 2000	14	4	Burnley	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Khanyisa Mayo	(1998-08-27) 27 August 1998	5	0	Cape Town City	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Monnapule Saleng	(1998-03-13) 13 March 1998	12	0	Orlando Pirates	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Iqraam Rayners	(1995-12-19) 19 December 1995	5	1	Stellenbosch	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Patrick Maswanganyi	(1998-04-04) 4 April 1998	0	0	Orlando Pirates	2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Kobamelo Kodisang	(1999-08-28) 28 August 1999	1	0	Moreirens	v.  Eswatini, 13 October 2023PRE
FW	Pule Mmodi	(1993-02-23) 23 February 1993	3	0	Kaizer Chiefs	v.  Eswatini, 13 October 2023PRE
FW	Victor Letsoalo	(1993-04-01) 1 April 1993	15	4	Sekhukhune United	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Tshegofatso Mabasa	(1996-10-01) 1 October 1996	7	3	Moroka Swallows	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Tebogo Tlolane	(1994-12-21) 21 December 1994	4	0	Golden Arrows	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Genino Palace	(1998-12-19) 19 December 1998	2	0	Stellenbosch	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Puse Dithjane	(2000-01-29) 29 January 2000	1	0	Unattached	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Siyabonga Gumede	(2000-07-09) 9 July 2000	1	0	Kaizer Chiefs	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Cassius Mailula	(2001-06-12) 12 June 2001	2	0	Toronto FC	v.  Morocco, 17 June 2023

Most appearances

Teko Modise and Siphiwe Tshabalala are the only two players that have scored 10 and more goals where South Africa has never lost a game when they have scored.

Top goalscorers

List of South Africa hat-tricks

Key

Benni McCarthy is the first player to have scored a hat-trick for South Africa in 1998 February 16.

Victor Letsoalo is the first and only player to have scored a hat-trick for South Africa in his debut on 13 July 2021.

No.	Player	Opponent	Goals	Goal Times	Score	Venue	Competition	Date	Ref(s)
1	Benni McCarthy	Namibia	4*	8', 11', 19', 21'	4–1	Stade Omnisport, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso	1998 Africa Cup of Nations	16 February 1998	[57][58]
2	Victor Letsoalo	Lesotho	3	5', 44', 57'	4–0	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa	2021 COSAFA Cup	13 July 2021	[59][60]

FIFA World Cup

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 was for the 1994 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 FIFA. 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 goal difference.

The team failed to qualify for the 2006 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 in South Africa, they beat France 2–1 and drew 1–1 to Mexico, but lost 0–3 to Uruguay. They failed to advance to the round of 16, on goal difference, for their second World Cup in a row and as the first host country to fail to advance past the group stage.^[61]

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter									Did not enter
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966	Not admitted[62]									Not admitted
1970	Banned									Banned
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	2	4
1998	Group stage	24th	3	0	2	1	3	6		8	6	1	1	11	3
2002		17th	3	1	1	1	5	5		8	7	1	0	13	3
2006	Did not qualify									10	5	1	4	12	14
2010	Group stage	20th	3	1	1	1	3	5		Qualified as hosts
2014	Did not qualify									6	3	2	1	12	5
2018										8	3	1	4	11	11
2022										6	4	1	1	6	2
2026	To be determined									1	1	0	0	2	1
2030										To be determined
2034
Total	Group stage	3/25	9	2	4	3	11	16		51	31	8	12	69	43

South Africa's World Cup record
First Match	France  3–0  South Africa (12 June 1998; Marseille, France)
Biggest Win	South Africa  1–0  Slovenia (8 June 2002; Daegu, South Korea) South Africa  2–1  France (22 June 2010; Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Biggest Defeat	France  3–0  South Africa (12 June 1998; Marseille, France) Uruguay  3–0  South Africa (16 June 2010; Pretoria, South Africa)
Best Result	17th place at the 2002 World Cup
Worst Result	24th place at the 1998 World Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Banned
1995	Did not qualify
1997	Group stage	8th	3	0	1	2	5	7	Squad
1999	Did not qualify
2001
2003
2005
2009	Fourth place	4th	5	1	1	3	4	6	Squad
2013	Did not qualify
2017
Total	Fourth place	2/10	8	1	2	5	9	13	—

South Africa's Confederations Cup record
First Match	South Africa  2–2  Czech Republic (13 December 1997; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Biggest Win	South Africa  2–0  New Zealand (17 June 2009; Rustenburg, South Africa)
Biggest Defeat	Spain  2–0  South Africa (20 June 2009; Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Best Result	Fourth place at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
Worst Result	8th place at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Qualified, later disqualified due to apartheid
1959	Banned due to apartheid
1962
1963
1965
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994	Did not qualify
1996	Champions	1st	6	5	0	1	11	2
1998	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	2	1	9	6
2000	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	8	6
2002	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	2	1	3	3
2004	Group stage	11th	3	1	1	1	3	5
2006		16th	3	0	0	3	0	5
2008		13th	3	0	2	1	3	5
2010	Did not qualify
2012
2013	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	2	1	5	3
2015	Group stage	15th	3	0	1	2	3	6
2017	Did not qualify
2019	Quarter-finals	7th	5	2	0	3	3	4
2021	Did not qualify
2023	Qualified
2025	To be determined
2027	To be determined
Total	1 Title	11/36	43	16	12	15	48	45

*Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

South Africa's Africa Cup of Nations record
First Match	South Africa 3–0 Cameroon  (13 January 1996; Johannesburg, South Africa)
Biggest Win	South Africa 3–0 Cameroon  (13 January 1996; Johannesburg, South Africa)  South Africa 3–0 Ghana  (31 January 1996; Johannesburg, South Africa)  South Africa 4–1 Namibia  (16 February 1998; Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso)
Biggest Defeat	Nigeria 4–0 South Africa  (31 January 2004; Monastir, Tunisia)
Best Result	Champions at the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations
Worst Result	16th place at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations

African Nations Championship record

African Nations Championship
Appearances: 2
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify
2011	Quarter-finals	6th	4	3	0	1	6	4
2014	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	5	5
2016	Did not qualify
2018
2020
2022
Total	Quarter-finals	2/7	7	4	1	2	11	9

By Federation