The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has called on soccer superfans to enter a competition to win an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We are taking one lucky fan from every Premier Soccer League team to the FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Their flights, accommodation, ground transport, and daily allowances will be fully sponsored by two big companies. This department will assist with visa facilitation and match ticket allocation,” the Minister said on Thursday in Pretoria during a media briefing.
The selection process will be overseen by a panel of respected figures in South African sport and entertainment.
Robert Marawa, Andile Ncube and Vino Snap have already been confirmed, with additional panel members to be announced.
“The entry will be simple: you submit a 30-second clip explaining why you are the biggest supporter of your club. The rules of the competition will be made public. The judges will decide.
“I ask the media to help us get this message out, because we want every South African who qualifies to have a fair shot at becoming their club’s Lucky Fan. A World Cup is not only a football event. It is a cultural moment,” McKenzie said.
Bafana Bafana officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 3-0 victory over the Rwanda national football team on 14 October 2025.
This marks South Africa’s return to the global tournament for the first time since 2002.
Honouring Mafikizolo and Mi Casa
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will also use the World Cup platform to honour iconic South African groups Mafikizolo and Mi Casa for their contributions to the country’s music industry.
“In 2026, Mafikizolo marks 30 years in the industry. Thirty years of a sound that defined South African pop, of songs played at weddings and funerals and everything in between, of a brand that carried this country’s music deep into the rest of the continent.
“In 2026, Mi Casa marks 15 years. Fifteen years of J’Something, Dr Duda, and Mo-T writing and performing songs that moved different continents onto the same dance floor.
“When we take Mafikizolo and Mi Casa to the Americas, we are not taking background music. We are taking the soundtrack of modern South Africa,” the Minister said.
He also encouraged artists to record an official World Cup song, which will be played at the Union Buildings during Bafana Bafana’s send-off and across radio stations nationwide.
Further details of the competition will be announced in due course. – SAnews.gov.za
