South Africa
CAF. Played 488 since 9 Jul 1906: won 219, drawn 146, lost 123. Elo 1726, ranked 59 in the world; peak 1792 in 1996. Titles: 1 AFCON.
1AFCONLatest results
- 2026-10-04WEgypt0–1South AfricaUpsetFriendly · Cairo20%
- 2026-09-30WEritrea0–5South AfricaAfrican Cup of Nations qualification · Cairo92%
- 2026-09-26WSouth Africa2–1GuineaAfrican Cup of Nations qualification · Johannesburg78%
- 2026-06-28LSouth Africa0–1CanadaFIFA World Cup · Round of 32 · Inglewood31%
- 2026-06-24WSouth Africa1–0South KoreaUpsetFIFA World Cup · Group A · Guadalupe22%
- 2026-06-18DCzech Republic1–1South AfricaFIFA World Cup · Group A · Atlanta33%
- 2026-06-11LMexico2–0South AfricaFIFA World Cup · Group A · Mexico City8%
- 2026-06-06WJamaica0–1South AfricaFriendly · Pachuca48%
- 2026-05-29DSouth Africa0–0NicaraguaFriendly · Johannesburg82%
- 2026-03-31LSouth Africa1–2PanamaFriendly · Cape Town37%
Squad
The following players were included in the preliminary squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Kenya on 13 and 15 November 2026.
- Players
- 38
- Average age
- 26.6
- Caps between them
- 625
- Most from one club
- Mamelodi Sundowns (13)
Where they play
25 at home · 13 abroad in 10 other countries
- South Africa 25
- United States 3
- Belgium 2
- Azerbaijan 1
- Cyprus 1
- Denmark 1
- Germany 1
- Morocco 1
- Norway 1
- Portugal 1
- Scotland 1
Average club rating 1553 (ClubElo; 35 of 38 players' clubs rated, mainly European). Highest-rated club: Rangers, ranked 273 by ClubElo.
| No. | Player | Age | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||
| Ronwen WilliamsMamelodi Sundowns | 34 | 71 | 0 | |
| Sipho ChaineOrlando Pirates | 29 | 5 | 0 | |
| Ricardo GossMamelodi Sundowns | 32 | 8 | 0 | |
| Thakasani MbanjwaLamontville Golden Arrows | 30 | 0 | 0 | |
| Defenders | ||||
| Aubrey ModibaMamelodi Sundowns | 31 | 47 | 1 | |
| Samukele KabiniMolde(Norway) | 22 | 9 | 1 | |
| Fawaaz BasadienMamelodi Sundowns | 29 | 6 | 0 | |
| Nkosikhona RadebeAmaZulu | 25 | 0 | 0 | |
| Thapelo MorenaMamelodi Sundowns | 33 | 38 | 3 | |
| Thabang MatuludiMamelodi Sundowns | 27 | 5 | 0 | |
| Olwethu MakhanyaRangers(Scotland) | 22 | 5 | 0 | |
| Khulumani NdamaneMamelodi Sundowns | 22 | 6 | 0 | |
| Lebone SeemaOrlando Pirates | 23 | 2 | 0 | |
| Nkosinathi SibisiOrlando Pirates | 31 | 24 | 0 | |
| Ime OkonHannover 96(Germany) | 22 | 10 | 1 | |
| Mbekezeli MbokaziChicago Fire(United States) | 21 | 15 | 1 | |
| Aden McCarthySabah(Azerbaijan) | 22 | 1 | 0 | |
| Midfielders | ||||
| Teboho MokoenaMamelodi Sundowns | 29 | 58 | 10 | |
| Lebohang MaboeKaizer Chiefs | 32 | 17 | 3 | |
| Sphephelo SitholeTondela(Portugal) | 27 | 35 | 2 | |
| Bathusi AubaasMamelodi Sundowns | 28 | 19 | 1 | |
| Brooklyn PoggenpoelDurban City | 27 | 2 | 0 | |
| Thalente MbathaOrlando Pirates | 26 | 20 | 3 | |
| Luke Le RouxCercle Brugge(Belgium) | 26 | 9 | 0 | |
| Forwards | ||||
| Iqraam RaynersMamelodi Sundowns | 30 | 27 | 6 | |
| Cassius MailulaMamelodi Sundowns | 25 | 3 | 0 | |
| Oswin AppollisOrlando Pirates | 25 | 34 | 8 | |
| Tashreeq MatthewsMamelodi Sundowns | 26 | 1 | 0 | |
| Relebohile MofokengUnion Saint-Gilloise(Belgium) | 22 | 20 | 3 | |
| Themba ZwaneMamelodi Sundowns | 37 | 57 | 12 | |
| Thapelo MasekoCopenhagen(Denmark) | 22 | 14 | 2 | |
| Luther SinghAEL Limassol(Cyprus) | 29 | 11 | 2 | |
| Devin TitusMaghreb Fez(Morocco) | 25 | 1 | 0 | |
| Lyle FosterHouston Dynamo(United States) | 26 | 30 | 11 | |
| Boitumelo RadiopaneOrlando Pirates | 24 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nqaba XuluRichards Bay | 23 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tshepang MoremiOrlando Pirates | 26 | 14 | 1 | |
| Puso DithejaneChicago Fire(United States) | 22 | 1 | 1 | |
Squad, caps and goals from Wikipedia: South Africa national soccer team (CC BY-SA), caps correct as of 4 October 2026; page last edited 31 Oct 2026. Read daily.
Tournament history
World Cup: 4 appearances
AFCON: 12 appearances
Gold Cup: 1 appearance
Furthest round reached, finals tournaments and Nations League only (qualifiers are not shown).
Rating over time
Head to head
South Africa v Zambia: played 22, won 7, drawn 7, lost 8; goals 21–21. First met 30 Aug 1992, last 15 Nov 2025.
- 2025-11-15WSouth Africa3–1ZambiaFriendly · Gqeberha77%
- 2023-07-14LSouth Africa1–2ZambiaUpsetCOSAFA Cup · Durban72%
- 2021-07-14DSouth Africa0–0ZambiaCOSAFA Cup · Port Elizabeth70%
- 2020-10-11LSouth Africa1–2ZambiaUpsetFriendly · Rustenburg74%
- 2018-03-24WZambia0–2South AfricaFour Nations Tournament · Ndola38%
- 2017-06-13LSouth Africa1–2ZambiaUpsetFriendly · Saulspoort83%
- 2015-01-04WSouth Africa1–0ZambiaFriendly · Johannesburg75%
- 2013-07-17DZambia0–0South Africa (Zambia won on penalties)COSAFA Cup · Ndola33%
- 2012-11-14LSouth Africa0–1ZambiaFriendly · Johannesburg53%
- 2009-01-27WSouth Africa1–0ZambiaFriendly · Atteridgeville70%
- 2008-07-30WSouth Africa1–0ZambiaCOSAFA Cup · Bushbuckridge58%
- 2007-10-24DSouth Africa0–0Zambia (South Africa won on penalties)COSAFA Cup · Bloemfontein50%
- 2007-09-09LSouth Africa1–3ZambiaAfrican Cup of Nations qualification · Cape Town61%
- 2006-10-08WZambia0–1South AfricaUpsetAfrican Cup of Nations qualification · Lusaka23%
- 2006-01-30LZambia1–0South AfricaAfrican Cup of Nations · Group C · Alexandria47%
Latest 15 of 22 meetings.
Record by competition
| Friendly | 196 | 87 | 52 | 57 |
| African Cup of Nations qualification | 70 | 33 | 27 | 10 |
| FIFA World Cup qualification | 66 | 37 | 12 | 17 |
| COSAFA Cup | 59 | 31 | 21 | 7 |
| African Cup of Nations | 54 | 20 | 17 | 17 |
| FIFA World Cup | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Confederations Cup | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Simba Tournament | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Gold Cup | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| USA Cup | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| COSAFA Cup qualification | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FIFA Series | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Four Nations Tournament | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| LG Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Top scorers
- Shaun Bartlett 15
- Benni McCarthy 12
- Siyabonga Nomvethe 8
- Phil Masinga 7
- Bernard Parker 7
- Teboho Mokoena 6
- Mark Williams 5
- Sibusiso Zuma 5
- Katlego Mphela 5
- John Moshoeu 4
Goals in games whose scorers are recorded in the source (most competitive games, not every friendly), so totals can be lower than official records.
Shoot-outs count as draws in records and ratings. Results: martj42/international_results (CC0), men’s full internationals since 1872. Rounds and groups: openfootball (CC0). Fixtures: fixturedownload.com.