Why is South Africa making a musical entrance for the 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Mexico?

Everyone remembers the South African celebration dance after Siphiwe Tshabalala scored his country’s first goal in the home leg of the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Sixteen years later, as South Africa prepares to kick off the 2026 edition of the tournament, expect more celebratory performances if the country manages to get on the scoresheet in Mexico City.

But even before the ball got rolling, we saw the South African players happily rolling into Estadio Azteca with dancing and music.

This wasn’t the first time Bafana Bafana made a musical entrance before a match. At this year’s AFCON in Morocco, the South African team arrived for their matches singing Gwijo songs, a musical tradition of the Xhosa people of the rainbow nation.

South Africa 2026 World Cup preview – READ

Published on June 11, 2026