South African soccer is the best it's been in 30 years as Bafana Bafana aim for gold, Banyana Banyana excel, PSL title race is on and Amajimbos set for U17 World Cup knockout phase

Rome certainly wasn't built in a day, any long-suffering South African soccer fan will back that up. If you don't count Bafana's automatic qualification to the World Cup 2010 showpiece on home soil, South Africa hadn't earned their right to participate at Planet Earth's biggest tournament since 2002 in South Korea and Japan. Bafana also appeared at France 1998, but then failed to make the grade and get invited to Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.  

Younger South African fans won't remember much of those events but can look forward to South Africa's involvement at 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico with plenty of optimism. Before all of that, they'll head to 2025 AFCON as one of the dark horses after making the semi-finals at 2023 AFCON, eventually losing to Nigeria's Super Eagles in the final four. Bafana goes into matches with justified confidence after becoming an extremely difficult side to beat.

Fans of the local scene haven't had it this good for three decades. 

After falling painfully at the final hurdle five times in WAFCON tournaments, Banyana finally climbed to the top of the mountain to win the title in 2022.  

Final defeats in 1995, 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018 would have served as learning experiences for a team coached by Desiree Ellis since 2016. The 62-year-old has been there, done that, got the T-shirt and tasted some painful defeats along the way.

Banyana's skipper, Refiloe Jane, is a tidy embodiment of the team. Vastly experienced and well-travelled, the 33-year-old has enjoyed club stints in Australia, England and Italy but is now back in South Africa with the TS Galaxy Queens.

29-year-old Thembi Kgatlana terrorised defenders at the 2022 WAFCON, earning her a move from Spain's Atletico Madrid to the USA's Louisville, where she stayed briefly. Now she's settled in Mexico with Tigres.

Scorer of both of Banyana's goals in the 2022 WAFCON final, 30-year-old Hildah Magaia also plies her trade in Mexico with Tijuana. 

The next challenge for Ellis and her technical staff will be to identify the next generation of female talent to carry the torch. 

The U20s claimed AFCON glory in May this year, defeating Morocco 1-0 in the final. They saw playmaker Tylon Smith named the Best Player of the tournament and earn a move to English Championship club Queens Park Rangers. Goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe was named the best keeper and Neo Rapoo and Lazola Maku joined their colleagues in the Team of the Tournament.

They tested their mettle on the world stage in October, contesting the U20 World Cup in Chile, where they reached the last 16, eventually losing 3-1 to Colombia.   

Kaizer Chiefs winger Mfundo Vilakazi, who only turns 20 on the 19th of November, scored Amajita's consolation goal to add to the two assists he had managed in their previous group games. 

This was their joint-best showing at the showpiece after also making the Round of 16 in 2009, but they're the first South African side to win two matches at a FIFA-sanctioned World Cup.  

Right at the base of the development pyramid, South Africa's U17s are also getting a taste of success and the bright lights. 

Amajimbos have advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup despite a 3-1 defeat to Italy in their final group match. 

Kaizer Chiefs academy prospect Shaun Els, goal-scorer in that defeat to Gli Azzurrini, became the first player to breach Italy's miserly defence at the U17 World Cup so far.   

Emile Witbooi is another name to look out for in Vela Khunalo's talented side as they gear up for a knockout match at the tournament. 

National teams are dependent on top-quality domestic leagues, and that's true of South African football. 

The PSL is one of the richest and most competitive domestic competitions on the continent, attracting some of the finest players from Africa and also providing an incentive for top local players to stay put.  

With the Diski Challenge now an established competition, there's also a firm focus on youth development and giving valuable competitive playing time to youngsters, week in, week out. This prepares them for the rigours of first-team football when called up, and helps mould the players for age-group international matches. 

If South Africa can produce players of the calibre of Relebohile Mofokeng, Mfundo Vilakazi, Puso Dithejane, Mohau Nkota, Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Ime Okon in the space of two seasons, that obviously stands the league and the national team in good stead.

Any top league needs a proper title race. Since 2018, Mamelodi Sundowns have scooped eight consecutive Premier Soccer League crowns, and indeed they've won nine of the last 10.  

Their nearest challengers in recent seasons, Orlando Pirates, haven't tasted league glory since 2012. However, in 2025/26, the Buccaneers have finally built up a squad capable of ending that drought. 

That would be a welcome change and could inject more interest in the competition from neutrals.

Pirates could be helped by the fact that the Brazilians have made no secret of the fact that they want a second star on their jerseys, more than any other accolade.

Sundowns won the inaugural African Football League in 2023 but haven't quite managed to earn that star they covet so much.

With one of the most expensive squads ever assembled on African soil, they will back themselves to go one step further after last year's semi-final heartbreak.

Imagine this. Bafana take the next logical step on their journey, reach the AFCON final in January 2026... and win!

Then in April, Banyana reclaim their WAFCON title to make it a men's and women's double.

Kaizer Chiefs, enjoying their first continental outing since 2021, go all the way to May's CAF Confederation Cup final to triumph.

Mamelodi Sundowns finally get their wish and add that CAF Champions League second star. 

South Africa are quadruple continental champion across national and club competitions as they set off for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, where, with that record, anything is possible.