South Africa’s 2026 World Cup campaign began with an underwhelming 2-0 defeat to Mexico.
Spirits were high for Bafana Bafana’s first tournament appearance since hosting back in 2010, however, they rolled over easily to a comfortable-looking Mexico in a match that saw three red cards – one for the hosts and a further two for South Africa.
Things started badly when Julian Quinones opened the scoring inside nine minutes after Erim Lira pounced on a defensive lapse.
This result makes it a real uphill battle for South Africa now, perhaps setting the tone of their performance at this finals if nothing is to change.
Read more: FIFA World Cup Draw: Find out who will play who in 2026
South Africa odds to win the World Cup
South Africa’s odds plummeted somewhat considerably after their 2-0 opening defeat to Mexico. Bafana Bafana have gone from 1000/1 at the start of the day to 1500/1 post-match.
South Africa odds to win Group A
Now that we know the full makeup of Group A, things aren’t looking positive for South Africa. Bafana Bafana are least fancied to win Group A and their odds haven’t changed much despite Czech Republic beating Denmark to enter Group A. It’s not close either, with South Africa a longshot to win what otherwise looks like a fairly well-matched group by some distance.
South Africa World Cup top goalscorer odds
Lyle Foster is 500/1 to win the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup. The Burnley forward has a decent record for his country with 10 goals from 30 caps so far.
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