The national team’s historic World Cup achievement sparked a wave of hilarious reactions, proving once again that South Africans can find humour in every moment
By Mapaballo Borotho

South Africans have a unique ability to find humour in almost every situation.
Whether it’s during moments of celebration, adversity, or uncertainty, Mzansi always finds a way to laugh through it all.
We saw this clearly during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Despite the devastating impact of the pandemic, job losses, and economic challenges, South Africans still managed to create memes and find moments of laughter.
Now, with Bafana Bafana qualifying for the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time in a decade, social media has once again done what it does best.
On Thursday, Bafana Bafana made history by defeating South Korea and advancing to the Round of 32, a stage the national team has not reached in 10 years.
The victory also means that coach Hugo Broos, who is set to step down after the tournament, will remain in charge for at least one more match.
Bafana Bafana will now face Canada after finishing second in their group on four points. Mexico topped the group with nine points following a 3-0 victory over Czechia.
But enough about the nitty-gritty of football. Let’s get to what South Africans do best – the memes
1. The doubters had to eat their words
Not everyone believed Bafana Bafana would make it this far in the tournament.
Many had already written the team off before the World Cup even started, but the players proved the doubters wrong and South Africans wasted no time reminding everyone about it.
Teams that are eliminated from the World Cup:
— Luu🇿🇦 (@sk1tguru) June 25, 2026
1. Qatar
2. Haiti
3. Turkey
4. NOT SOUTH AFRICA🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
pic.twitter.com/R8y57lhPhX
South Africa arriving in the round of 32 after the whole world wrote them off 😭🇿🇦❤️ pic.twitter.com/gYQAhjI1pc
— Swiss (@BlxckSwiss_) June 25, 2026
2. “Tata Madiba, please look after the boys”
Another meme that had social media users in stitches featured calls for former President Nelson Mandela to guide and protect the team from above.
Many South Africans jokingly pleaded with Tata Madiba to watch over Bafana Bafana as they continue their World Cup journey.
Let’s wake him up early….Madiba! Tata! Rholihlahla! Mandela! pic.twitter.com/rsEgC6A4sh
— IHaveAnMBAandItWorks (@Tebogo_ZA) June 25, 2026
3. Chakalaka vs Kimchi
Perhaps one of the most hilarious meme trends to emerge from the victory was the comparison between South African and South Korean cuisine.
Many users jokingly claimed that kimchi stood no chance against chakalaka, with some declaring the spicy South African staple the true winner of the day.
4. “This is football, not karate”
Last but certainly not least were the jokes reminding everyone that this was a football match and not a karate competition.
Social media users had a field day with the stereotype, with countless memes suggesting South Korea may have arrived prepared for the wrong sporting event.
Ha re dlale karate , ke diski die ding 😭🔥 https://t.co/DmkByuWEeP
— raptor 🦍 (@raptorr_xx) June 25, 2026
We wanna play all our games at 3am pic.twitter.com/05GYlDIg88
— Tshemedi (@RealTshemedi2) June 25, 2026
One thing is certain: while Bafana Bafana made history on the pitch, South Africans once again proved that nobody celebrates a major sporting moment quite like Mzansi.
canada we are coming for you. 🫵 pic.twitter.com/kZIoN500Bx
— himmy neutron. 🇿🇦 (@kaggiso) June 25, 2026
READ NEXT: What Bafana Bafana must do to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup



