100 days to kick off: Will South Africa boycott 2026 FIFA World Cup because of US travel ban?
South Africa will not support calls for African countries to boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said, pushing back against pressure from some quarters, including the EFF, over US travel restrictions.
Speaking as the countdown hit 100 days to kickoff, McKenzie said a boycott would be the wrong response. “South Africa does not support a boycott. Football should not become a casualty of geopolitics,” he said, describing the tournament as “the biggest sporting event on Earth” that “belongs to the players and the supporters of the world.”
He stressed that South Africa is not subject to any US travel ban, and urged fans to rally behind the national team. “Bafana Bafana have qualified for the first time since 2002, and we want to see South Africans travelling to the Americas in their numbers to support our national team,” he said. “Football must unite people, not divide them even further.”
The comments come as the Trump administration has tightened entry rules for citizens of certain countries, citing national security concerns, fuelling debate about how such measures could affect travel for fans and teams ahead of the tournament.
They also follow broader diplomatic friction, including reports that President Donald Trump said South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit in Miami.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11th to July 19th, 2026, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
