Bafana Bafana finally departed from OR Tambo International Airport on Monday afternoon for Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after administrative problems delayed the team's planned departure by a day.

The South African national team was originally scheduled to leave on Sunday, but several players and members of the technical staff had not yet received their United States visas, preventing the group from travelling as planned.

Since World Cup participants require US visas that also facilitate travel to co-host nations Mexico and Canada, the missing documentation caused significant disruption to preparations.Videos shared on the team's official social media channels showed players arriving at the airport and boarding their charter flight to Mexico.However, uncertainty remained over whether four members of the delegation who were still awaiting visas on Monday morning had been cleared to travel.Among those affected was assistant coach Helman Mkhalele, who did not appear in the departure footage.

The South African Football Association (Safa) apologised to the public for the administrative error and thanked the Department of International Relations and Cooperation as well as the US consulate for helping to resolve the matter quickly.Sports minister Gayton McKenzie identified the four affected individuals as the assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and an analyst.

Coach Hugo Broos had wanted the squad to arrive at least 10 days before their opening World Cup match against defending champions Argentina on 12 June.

The early arrival was considered important because Mexico City and the team's training base in Pachuca are located at significantly higher altitudes than Johannesburg, requiring time for acclimatisation.Despite the delay, the squad is still expected to have roughly 10 days to adjust before the tournament begins.It remains unclear whether the late departure will affect a planned warm-up friendly against Jamaica.