South African football is in mourning. Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder Jayden Adams, who featured in South Africa's historic 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, has died at the age of 25. His body was found on Saturday morning in a house in the Schotschekloof suburb of central Cape Town, where police have begun an investigation into his death. No cause of death has yet been confirmed.
The news was confirmed by South Africa's Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, who said: "It is with profound shock and a heavy heart that I have learnt of the passing of Jayden Adams, midfielder for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana, at the age of 25. South African football has lost one of its brightest young talents, and our nation mourns alongside his family, his team-mates and the millions of supporters who watched him grow from a promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international.
Adams, born on 5 May 2001 in Mamelodi, featured in all three of South Africa's group stage matches at the 2026 World Cup — starting against Mexico and Czechia, and coming off the bench in the famous 1-0 victory over South Korea that earned Bafana Bafana their first-ever place in the knockout rounds. His grandmother had passed away just a day before the Czechia fixture, and he was replaced at half-time during that match. He made his international debut against Mozambique in 2022 and won 13 caps, scoring two goals — both in World Cup qualifying.
Adams trained at Stellenbosch FC, where he became the first academy graduate to sign a professional contract, making his senior debut in August 2020. He helped Mamelodi Sundowns win the CAF Champions League in the 2025/26 season.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: "It is so incredibly sad to hear that South Africa midfielder Jayden Adams has passed away just weeks after featuring in his nation's historic FIFA World Cup campaign. My thoughts and condolences, as well as those of everyone at FIFA and the global football community, are with his family, friends and team-mates. The Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns star will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace."
The South African Football Players Union said: "South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer." Mamelodi Sundowns, in a statement from the Motsepe family and the club's board of directors, expressed their deepest condolences to the Adams family.
Jayden Adams was 25 years old. He had just helped make history for his country.
May his memory be blessed!
Source : Ballocentre.com
Images: Getty, Supersport Football
It's do or die for Bafana on Wednesday evening. Let's hear what the coach has to say.
Source : Ballocentre.com
Images: Getty, Supersport Football
He was one of the most lethal finishers in the DStv Premiership during his time at Orlando Pirates — a striker whose movement, composure and eye for goal made him a firm favourite at the Orlando Stadium. Now, as Tshegofatso Mabasa stands on the threshold of an exciting new chapter in his football career, he sits down for a conversation that goes well beyond the goals and the glory.
In this candid and wide-ranging interview, Mabasa shares his honest assessment of the current Bafana Bafana World Cup squad — who has impressed him, what the team needs, and what it will take for South Africa to make a real mark on the global stage. But perhaps most powerfully, he opens up about a subject that South African football has too often shied away from: the mental wellbeing of players, and why more needs to be done to support those who carry the weight of public expectation both on and off the pitch.
Source : Ballocentre.com
Images: Getty, Supersport Football
