Nkota: I Did Not Watch The 2010 World Cup
Bafana Bafana attacker Mohau Nkota says he did not watch South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup opening match against Mexico because he was still young and playing in the streets at the time.
South Africa have once again been paired with co-host Mexico for the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Friday’s draw placed them together in Group A. The match will take place on 11 June 2026 at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, one of world football’s most historic venues.
It will be a repeat of the 2010 World Cup opener at FNB Stadium 16 years ago. The other teams in Bafana Bafana’s group are South Korea and the European playoff winner, which will be decided in March next year.
The European playoff will be contested by Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia, or the Republic of Ireland.
“I didn’t even watch the 2010 World Cup because I was still young—I was just playing in the streets,” said Nkota.
“However, it motivates me because I met someone who scored in that game [Siphiwe Tshabalala, who attended the Castle Lager event on Friday]. I spoke to him, and I promised him that I would be the one to score the opening goal at the World Cup against Mexico.”
Tshabalala, whose famous strike reverberated around the world, scored after a flowing move involving Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Katlego Mphela, and Kagiso Dikgacoi, who delivered the defence-splitting pass for Shabba to fire a thunderous shot into the far corner.
That was the last time Bafana Bafana appeared at a FIFA World Cup, as they qualified automatically as the host nation. They collected four points in their group, with Uruguay finishing top, followed by Mexico. France ended bottom after internal turmoil.
Since then, Bafana Bafana have shown improvement under Hugo Broos, including winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
They are considered amongst the favourites for the upcoming 2025 AFCON, which will be hosted in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
“We trust ourselves, and you can see it when we play,” said Nkota, who is part of the squad for the tournament.
“We just have to be a unit, and we have a captain [Ronwen Williams] who motivates us. He even motivates me and tells me, ‘Just be yourself, play your game, gain confidence, and everything will be okay.’”
