South Africa’s soccer team, Bafana Bafana and Jamaica played to a one-all draw in Pachuca, Mexico, in Bafana Bafana’s final warm-up match ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 later this week.
The match against the Reggae Boyz was a hastily arranged fixture but crucial to Bafana Bafana’s final phase of preparation for the global spectacle.
The only other warm-up match for the World Cup group was an uninspiring goalless draw against Nicaragua before the team’s departure for Mexico.
The result against Jamaica, a nation ranked 71st in the world, would not have instilled the confidence the team was seeking after four matches without a win.
Lyle Foster opened Bafana Bafana’s account in the first half after Jamaica’s goalkeeper casually handed Bafana possession.
A mad scramble in SA’s in-goal area allowed Dwayne Atkinson to equalise in the second half.
Now Mexico awaits in the World Cup opener in Mexico City on Thursday.
The co-hosts are on an eight-match unbeaten streak, with six wins and two draws and a recent 5-1 thumping of Serbia, ranked 42nd in the world.
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