South Africa at the FIFA World Cup - wikipedia South Africa at the FIFA World Cup This is a record of South Africa 's results at the FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the men 's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ), the sport 's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II. The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase ( officially called the World Cup Finals ). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 32 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation ( or nations ) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final. South Africa have appeared in the FIFA World Cup on three occasions in 1998, 2002, and 2010. Although South Africa has made three appearances in the World Cup, they have not made it past the first round. The team 's first attempt to qualify as for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The team finished second in their group, behind Nigeria, who went on to play at the World Cup. Their first appearance was in France 1998, six years after they had been readmitted to the global football family. Despite a 3 -- 0 drubbing to France in their opening game, they went on to draw against Denmark and Saudi Arabia, the team finished third and thus exited the tournament. Korea / Japan 2002 was expected to be an opportunity for Bafana Bafana to step up to the next level but they were eliminated at the group stage despite drawing to Paraguay and beating Slovenia 1 -- 0 for their first - ever World Cup win. The team finished third in their group, losing out to Paraguay on goals scored. The team failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup after finishing third in their qualifying group. Ghana won the group and progressed to the tournament, while Congo DR finished ahead of South Africa on head to head results. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, they beat France 2 -- 1 and drew 1 -- 1 to Mexico, but lost 0 -- 3 to Uruguay. They lost out on progression to the round of 16, on goal difference. Contents 1 FIFA World Cup record 2 South Africa at 1998 FIFA World Cup 2.1 France vs South Africa 2.2 South Africa vs Denmark 2.3 South Africa vs Saudi Arabia 3 South Africa at 2002 FIFA World Cup 3.1 Paraguay vs South Africa 3.2 South Africa vs Slovenia 3.3 South Africa vs Spain 4 South Africa at 2010 FIFA World Cup 4.1 South Africa vs Mexico 4.2 South Africa vs Uruguay 4.3 France vs South Africa 5 Record Players 6 Top Goalscorers 7 References 8 External links FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup record Year Round Position Pld GF GA 1930 to 1962 Did not enter 1966 Not admitted 1970 to Banned Did not qualify 1998 Group stage 24th 0 6 2002 Group stage 17th 5 5 2006 Did not qualify Group stage 20th 5 2014 Did not qualify 2018 Total Group stage 3 / 21 9 11 16 South Africa at 1998 FIFA World Cup Team Pld GF GA GD Pts France 0 0 9 + 8 9 Denmark 0 South Africa 0 6 − 3 Saudi Arabia 0 7 − 5 Head coach : Philippe Troussier No. Pos. Player Date of birth ( age ) Caps Club 1GK Hans Vonk ( 1970 - 01 - 30 ) 30 January 1970 ( aged 28 ) 0 Heerenveen 2DF Themba Mnguni ( 1973 - 12 - 16 ) 16 December 1973 ( aged 24 ) Mamelodi Sundowns 2DF David Nyathi ( 1969 - 03 - 22 ) 22 March 1969 ( aged 29 ) 35 St. Gallen 2DF Willem Jackson ( 1972 - 03 - 26 ) 26 March 1972 ( aged 26 ) 12 Orlando Pirates 5 2DF Mark Fish ( 1974 - 03 - 14 ) 14 March 1974 ( aged 24 ) 37 Bolton Wanderers 6 4FW Phil Masinga ( 1969 - 06 - 28 ) 28 June 1969 ( aged 28 ) 41 Bari 7 3MF Quinton Fortune ( 1977 - 05 - 21 ) 21 May 1977 ( aged 21 ) 6 Atlético Madrid 8 3MF Alfred Phiri ( 1974 - 06 - 22 ) 22 June 1974 ( aged 23 ) Vanspor 9 4FW Shaun Bartlett ( 1972 - 10 - 31 ) 31 October 1972 ( aged 25 ) 29 Cape Town Spurs 10 3MF John Moshoeu ( 1965 - 12 - 18 ) 18 December 1965 ( aged 32 ) 44 Fenerbahçe 11 3MF Helman Mkhalele ( 1969 - 10 - 20 ) 20 October 1969 ( aged 28 ) 35 Kayserispor 12 4FW Brendan Augustine ( 1971 - 10 - 26 ) 26 October 1971 ( aged 26 ) 26 LASK Linz 13 4FW Delron Buckley ( 1977 - 12 - 07 ) 7 December 1977 ( aged 20 ) 0 VfL Bochum 14 4FW Jerry Sikhosana ( 1969 - 06 - 08 ) 8 June 1969 ( aged 29 ) 9 Orlando Pirates 15 3MF Doctor Khumalo ( 1967 - 06 - 26 ) 26 June 1967 ( aged 30 ) 43 Kaizer Chiefs 16 1GK Brian Baloyi ( 1974 - 03 - 16 ) 16 March 1974 ( aged 24 ) 8 Kaizer Chiefs 17 4FW Benni McCarthy ( 1977 - 11 - 12 ) 12 November 1977 ( aged 20 ) 10 Ajax 18 3MF Lebohang Morula ( 1968 - 12 - 22 ) 22 December 1968 ( aged 29 ) 0 Vanspor 19 2DF Lucas Radebe ( c ) ( 1969 - 04 - 12 ) 12 April 1969 ( aged 29 ) 41 Leeds United 20 3MF William Mokoena ( 1975 - 03 - 31 ) 31 March 1975 ( aged 23 ) 0 Manning Rangers 21 2DF Pierre Issa ( 1975 - 09 - 12 ) 12 September 1975 ( aged 22 ) Marseille 22 1GK Paul Evans * ( 1973 - 12 - 28 ) 28 December 1973 ( aged 24 ) 0 Supersport United 23 1GK Simon Gopane * ( 1970 - 12 - 26 ) 26 December 1970 ( aged 27 ) Bloemfontein Celtic Andre Arendse ( # 22 ) was injured before the start of the tournament. His replacement, Paul Evans, was also injured shortly after arriving as a replacement. Simon Gopane was then called up, and sat on the bench for the last two matches. France vs South Africa 12 June 1998 21 : 00 France 3 -- 0 South Africa Report Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance : 55,000 Referee : Márcio Rezende de Freitas ( Brazil ) GK 16 Fabien Barthez RB 15 Lilian Thuram CB 8 Marcel Desailly CB 5 Laurent Blanc LB Bixente Lizarazu CM 7 Didier Deschamps ( c ) 53 ' CM 17 Emmanuel Petit 28 ' 73 ' RW 6 Youri Djorkaeff 84 ' AM 10 Zinedine Zidane 75 ' LW 12 Thierry Henry CF 9 Stéphane Guivarc'h 26 ' Substitutions : FW 21 Christophe Dugarry 26 ' MF 14 Alain Boghossian 73 ' FW 20 David Trezeguet 84 ' Manager : Aimé Jacquet GK Hans Vonk DF David Nyathi DF Willem Jackson 39 ' DF 5 Mark Fish DF 19 Lucas Radebe ( c ) DF 21 Pierre Issa MF 7 Quinton Fortune MF 10 John Moshoeu FW 6 Phil Masinga FW 12 Brendan Augustine 56 ' FW 17 Benni McCarthy 89 ' Substitutions : MF 11 Helman Mkhalele 56 ' FW 9 Shaun Bartlett 89 ' Manager : Philippe Troussier Assistant referees : Arnaldo Pinto ( Brazil ) Merere Gonzales ( Trinidad and Tobago ) Fourth official : Mario Sánchez Yanten ( Chile ) South Africa vs Denmark Benni McCarthy scored South Africa 's first ever goal in the World Cup when he received the ball on the edge of the penalty box before shooting low left footed through the legs of Peter Schmeichel to level the match. 18 June 1998 17 : 30 South Africa 1 -- 1 Denmark McCarthy 51 ' Report Nielsen 12 ' Stade de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance : 33,300 Referee : John Toro Rendón ( Colombia ) GK Hans Vonk DF David Nyathi 28 ' 88 ' DF 5 Mark Fish DF 19 Lucas Radebe ( c ) 73 ' DF 21 Pierre Issa 63 ' MF 7 Quinton Fortune MF 10 John Moshoeu MF 11 Helman Mkhalele FW 9 Shaun Bartlett 77 ' FW 12 Brendan Augustine 46 ' FW 17 Benni McCarthy Substitutions : MF 8 Alfred Phiri 65 ', 68 ' 46 ' FW 6 Phil Masinga 77 ' FW 13 Delron Buckley 88 ' Manager : Philippe Troussier GK Peter Schmeichel 57 ' DF Michael Schjønberg 23 ' 82 ' DF Marc Rieper DF Jes Høgh 56 ' DF 6 Thomas Helveg DF 12 Søren Colding MF 7 Allan Nielsen MF 10 Michael Laudrup ( c ) 58 ' MF 21 Martin Jørgensen FW 11 Brian Laudrup FW 19 Ebbe Sand 58 ' Substitutions : DF 5 Jan Heintze 58 ' FW 9 Miklos Molnar 66 ' 58 ' MF 14 Morten Wieghorst 85 ' 82 ' Manager : Bo Johansson Assistant referees : Jorge Luis Arango ( Colombia ) Celestino Galván ( Paraguay ) Fourth official : Epifanio González ( Paraguay ) South Africa vs Saudi Arabia 24 June 1998 16 : 00 South Africa 2 -- 2 Saudi Arabia Bartlett 18 ', 90 + 3 ' ( pen. ) Report Al - Jaber 45 + 2 ' ( pen. ) Al - Thunayan 74 ' ( pen. ) Parc Lescure, Bordeaux Attendance : 31,800 Referee : Mario Sánchez ( Chile ) GK Hans Vonk DF David Nyathi DF Willem Jackson 46 ' DF 5 Mark Fish DF 19 Lucas Radebe ( c ) 65 ' DF 21 Pierre Issa MF 7 Quinton Fortune 38 ' 67 ' MF 10 John Moshoeu MF 11 Helman Mkhalele FW 9 Shaun Bartlett FW 17 Benni McCarthy 46 ' Substitutions : FW 13 Delron Buckley 46 ' FW 14 Jerry Sikhosana 46 ' MF 15 Doctor Khumalo 67 ' Manager : Philippe Troussier GK Mohamed Al - Deayea DF Mohammed Al - Jahani DF Abdullah Zubromawi DF 13 Hussein Sulaimani MF 6 Fuad Amin ( c ) MF 16 Khamis Al - Owairan 30 ' MF 18 Nawaf Al - Temyat MF 20 Hamzah Saleh FW 9 Sami Al - Jaber FW 11 Fahad Al - Mehallel 64 ' FW 15 Yousuf Al - Thunayan 81 ' Substitutions : MF 7 Ibrahim Al - Shahrani 64 ' MF 12 Ibrahim Al - Harbi 81 ' Manager : Mohammed Al - Kharashy Assistant referees : Owen Powell ( Jamaica ) Eddie Foley ( Ireland ) Fourth official : Alberto Tejada Noriega ( Peru ) South Africa at 2002 FIFA World Cup Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Spain 0 0 9 + 5 9 Advance to knockout stage Paraguay 6 6 0 South Africa 5 5 0 Slovenia 0 0 7 − 5 0 Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Tie - breaking criteria Head coach : Jomo Sono No. Pos. Player Date of birth ( age ) Caps Club 1GK Hans Vonk ( 1970 - 01 - 30 ) 30 January 1970 ( aged 32 ) 29 Heerenveen 2DF Cyril Nzama ( 1974 - 06 - 26 ) 26 June 1974 ( aged 27 ) 19 Kaizer Chiefs 2DF Bradley Carnell ( 1977 - 01 - 21 ) 21 January 1977 ( aged 25 ) 21 VfB Stuttgart 2DF Aaron Mokoena ( 1980 - 11 - 25 ) 25 November 1980 ( aged 21 ) 22 Beerschot 5 2DF Jacob Lekgetho ( 1974 - 03 - 24 ) 24 March 1974 ( aged 28 ) 15 Lokomotiv Moscow 6 3MF MacBeth Sibaya ( 1977 - 11 - 25 ) 25 November 1977 ( aged 24 ) 9 Jomo Cosmos 7 3MF Quinton Fortune ( 1977 - 05 - 21 ) 21 May 1977 ( aged 25 ) 39 Manchester United 8 3MF Thabo Mngomeni ( 1969 - 06 - 24 ) 24 June 1969 ( aged 32 ) 37 Orlando Pirates 9 3MF MacDonald Mukansi ( 1975 - 05 - 26 ) 26 May 1975 ( aged 27 ) 7 Lokomotiv Sofia 10 3MF Bennett Mnguni ( 1974 - 03 - 18 ) 18 March 1974 ( aged 28 ) 9 Lokomotiv Moscow 11 3MF Jabu Pule ( 1980 - 07 - 11 ) 11 July 1980 ( aged 21 ) 9 Kaizer Chiefs 12 3MF Teboho Mokoena ( 1974 - 07 - 10 ) 10 July 1974 ( aged 27 ) 10 St. Gallen 13 2DF Pierre Issa ( 1975 - 09 - 12 ) 12 September 1975 ( aged 26 ) 41 Watford 14 4FW Siyabonga Nomvethe ( 1977 - 12 - 02 ) 2 December 1977 ( aged 24 ) 30 Udinese 15 3MF Sibusiso Zuma ( 1975 - 06 - 23 ) 23 June 1975 ( aged 26 ) 22 Copenhagen 16 1GK André Arendse ( 1967 - 06 - 27 ) 27 June 1967 ( aged 34 ) 49 Santos Cape Town 17 4FW Benni McCarthy ( 1977 - 11 - 12 ) 12 November 1977 ( aged 24 ) 43 Porto 18 3MF Delron Buckley ( 1977 - 12 - 07 ) 7 December 1977 ( aged 24 ) 32 VfL Bochum 19 2DF Lucas Radebe ( c ) ( 1969 - 04 - 12 ) 12 April 1969 ( aged 33 ) 65 Leeds United 20 1GK Calvin Marlin ( 1976 - 04 - 20 ) 20 April 1976 ( aged 26 ) Ajax Cape Town 21 3MF Steven Pienaar ( 1982 - 03 - 17 ) 17 March 1982 ( aged 20 ) 0 Ajax 22 2DF Thabang Molefe ( 1979 - 04 - 11 ) 11 April 1979 ( aged 23 ) 5 Jomo Cosmos 23 4FW George Koumantarakis ( 1974 - 03 - 27 ) 27 March 1974 ( aged 28 ) 6 Basel Paraguay vs South Africa 2 June 2002 16 : 30 Paraguay 2 -- 2 South Africa Santa Cruz 39 ' Arce 55 ' Report Mokoena 63 ' Fortune 90 + 1 ' ( pen. ) Busan Asian Main Stadium, Busan Attendance : 25,186 Referee : Ľuboš Micheľ ( Slovakia ) Paraguay South Africa GK 22 Ricardo Tavarelli 90 ' CB 18 Julio César Cáceres 35 ' CB 5 Celso Ayala CB Carlos Gamarra ( c ) RWB Francisco Arce LWB 21 Denis Caniza 65 ' CM 10 Roberto Miguel Acuña CM 6 Estanislao Struway 86 ' CM 8 Guido Alvarenga 66 ' AM 11 Jorge Campos 73 ' CF 9 Roque Santa Cruz Substitutions : MF 14 Diego Gavilán 66 ' MF 16 Gustavo Morínigo 73 ' DF 17 Juan Carlos Franco 90 + 3 ' 86 ' Manager : Cesare Maldini GK 16 Andre Arendse RB Aaron Mokoena 3 ' CB 13 Pierre Issa 9 ' 27 ' CB 19 Lucas Radebe ( c ) LB Bradley Carnell RM Cyril Nzama CM 12 Teboho Mokoena CM 6 MacBeth Sibaya LM 7 Quinton Fortune CF 17 Benni McCarthy 38 ' 78 ' CF 15 Sibusiso Zuma 45 + 2 ' Substitutions : MF 9 MacDonald Mukasi 27 ' FW 23 George Koumantarakis 78 ' Manager : Jomo Sono Man of the Match : Francisco Arce ( Paraguay ) Assistant referees : Igor Šramka ( Slovakia ) Curtis Charles ( Antigua and Barbuda ) Fourth official : Hugh Dallas ( Scotland ) South Africa vs Slovenia Siyabonga Nomvethe scored the only goal of the game, in the fourth minute. A free kick from Quinton Fortune on the left came to Nomvethe and although he mistimed his header, the ball cannoned into the net off his thigh. 8 June 2002 15 : 30 South Africa 1 -- 0 Slovenia Nomvethe 4 ' Report Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu Attendance : 47,226 Referee : Ángel Sánchez ( Argentina ) South Africa Slovenia GK 16 Andre Arendse RB Cyril Nzama CB Aaron Mokoena CB 19 Lucas Radebe ( c ) 12 ' LB Bradley Carnell RM 15 Sibusiso Zuma CM 6 MacBeth Sibaya CM 12 Teboho Mokoena LM 7 Quinton Fortune 84 ' CF 14 Siyabonga Nomvethe 71 ' CF 17 Benni McCarthy 80 ' Substitutions : MF 18 Delron Buckley 71 ' FW 23 George Koumantarakis 80 ' MF 11 Jabu Pule 84 ' Manager : Jomo Sono GK Marko Simeunovič CB Željko Milinovič 52 ' CB Muamer Vugdalič 35 ' CB 6 Aleksander Knavs 60 ' RM 7 Đoni Novak CM 11 Miran Pavlin 75 ' CM 8 Aleš Čeh ( c ) 62 ' LM 19 Amir Karić AM 18 Milenko Ačimovič 60 ' CF 21 Sebastjan Cimirotič 41 ' CF 13 Mladen Rudonja Substitutions : FW 9 Milan Osterc 41 ' MF 20 Nastja Čeh 60 ' DF 22 Spasoje Bulajič 60 ' Manager : Srečko Katanec Man of the Match : Quinton Fortune ( South Africa ) Assistant referees : Jorge Rattalino ( Argentina ) Ali Al Traifi ( Saudi Arabia ) Fourth official : Jan Wegereef ( Netherlands ) South Africa vs Spain 12 June 2002 20 : 30 South Africa 2 -- 3 Spain McCarthy 31 ' Radebe 53 ' Report Raúl 4 ', 56 ' Mendieta 45 + 1 ' Daejeon World Cup Stadium, Daejeon Attendance : 31,024 Referee : Saad Mane ( Kuwait ) South Africa Spain GK 16 Andre Arendse RB Cyril Nzama 16 ' CB Aaron Mokoena 81 ' CB 19 Lucas Radebe ( c ) 80 ' LB Bradley Carnell 67 ' RM 15 Sibusiso Zuma CM 6 MacBeth Sibaya CM 12 Teboho Mokoena LM 7 Quinton Fortune 83 ' CF 17 Benni McCarthy CF 14 Siyabonga Nomvethe 69 ' 74 ' Substitutions : FW 23 George Koumantarakis 74 ' DF 22 Thabang Molefe 80 ' DF 5 Jacob Lekgetho 83 ' Manager : Jomo Sono GK Iker Casillas RB Curro Torres CB Iván Helguera CB 20 Miguel Ángel Nadal ( c ) LB 15 Enrique Romero RM 22 Joaquín CM 19 Xavi CM 14 David Albelda 53 ' LM 16 Gaizka Mendieta CF 7 Raúl 82 ' CF 9 Fernando Morientes 77 ' Substitutions : MF 18 Sergio 53 ' FW 12 Albert Luque 77 ' MF 21 Luis Enrique 82 ' Manager : José Antonio Camacho Man of the Match : Raúl ( Spain ) Assistant referees : Jorge Rattalino ( Argentina ) Awni Hassouneh ( Jordan ) Fourth official : Mohamed Guezzaz ( Morocco ) South Africa at 2010 FIFA World Cup Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Uruguay 0 0 + 4 7 Advance to knockout stage Mexico + 1 South Africa ( H ) 5 − 2 France 0 − 3 Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Tie - breaking criteria ( H ) Host. Coach : Carlos Alberto Parreira No. Pos. Player Date of birth ( age ) Caps Club 1GK Moeneeb Josephs ( 1980 - 05 - 19 ) 19 May 1980 ( aged 30 ) 17 Orlando Pirates 2DF Siboniso Gaxa ( 1984 - 04 - 06 ) 6 April 1984 ( aged 26 ) 37 Mamelodi Sundowns 2DF Tsepo Masilela ( 1985 - 05 - 05 ) 5 May 1985 ( aged 25 ) 31 Maccabi Haifa 2DF Aaron Mokoena ( c ) ( 1980 - 11 - 25 ) 25 November 1980 ( aged 29 ) 101 Portsmouth 5 2DF Anele Ngcongca ( 1987 - 10 - 20 ) 20 October 1987 ( aged 22 ) 5 Genk 6 3MF MacBeth Sibaya ( 1977 - 11 - 25 ) 25 November 1977 ( aged 32 ) 58 Rubin Kazan 7 3MF Lance Davids ( 1985 - 04 - 11 ) 11 April 1985 ( aged 25 ) 22 Ajax Cape Town 8 3MF Siphiwe Tshabalala ( 1984 - 09 - 25 ) 25 September 1984 ( aged 25 ) 48 Kaizer Chiefs 9 4FW Katlego Mphela ( 1984 - 11 - 29 ) 29 November 1984 ( aged 25 ) 31 Mamelodi Sundowns 10 3MF Steven Pienaar ( 1982 - 03 - 17 ) 17 March 1982 ( aged 28 ) 50 Everton 11 3MF Teko Modise ( 1982 - 12 - 22 ) 22 December 1982 ( aged 27 ) 52 Orlando Pirates 12 3MF Reneilwe Letsholonyane ( 1982 - 06 - 09 ) 9 June 1982 ( aged 28 ) 13 Kaizer Chiefs 13 3MF Kagisho Dikgacoi ( 1984 - 11 - 24 ) 24 November 1984 ( aged 25 ) 37 Fulham 14 2DF Matthew Booth ( 1977 - 03 - 14 ) 14 March 1977 ( aged 33 ) 27 Mamelodi Sundowns 15 2DF Lucas Thwala ( 1981 - 10 - 19 ) 19 October 1981 ( aged 28 ) 24 Orlando Pirates 16 1GK Itumeleng Khune ( 1987 - 06 - 20 ) 20 June 1987 ( aged 22 ) 27 Kaizer Chiefs 17 4FW Bernard Parker ( 1986 - 03 - 16 ) 16 March 1986 ( aged 24 ) 28 Twente 18 4FW Siyabonga Nomvethe ( 1977 - 12 - 02 ) 2 December 1977 ( aged 32 ) 76 Moroka Swallows 19 3MF Surprise Moriri ( 1980 - 03 - 20 ) 20 March 1980 ( aged 30 ) 34 Mamelodi Sundowns 20 2DF Bongani Khumalo ( 1987 - 01 - 06 ) 6 January 1987 ( aged 23 ) 14 Supersport United 21 2DF Siyabonga Sangweni ( 1981 - 09 - 29 ) 29 September 1981 ( aged 28 ) 8 Golden Arrows 22 1GK Shu - Aib Walters ( 1981 - 12 - 26 ) 26 December 1981 ( aged 28 ) 0 Maritzburg United 23 3MF Thanduyise Khuboni ( 1986 - 05 - 23 ) 23 May 1986 ( aged 24 ) 9 Golden Arrows South Africa vs Mexico South Africa vs Mexico was the opening match of the World Cup, held on 11 June 2010. It was described as an `` enthralling '' and `` pulsating '' match. South Africa opened the scoring in the 55th minute after Siphiwe Tshabalala scored off a pass through Mexico 's defence by Teko Modise. Mexico 's captain Rafael Márquez equalised following a corner kick in the 79th minute. In the final minutes of the match, Katlego Mphela almost scored a winning goal for South Africa, but his shot bounced off the post. Tshabalala was named as the man of the match. South Africa 's coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira called the result `` fair '', while Mexico 's coach Javier Aguirre stated `` we could have won, we could have lost ''. 11 June 2010 16 : 00 South Africa 1 -- 1 Mexico Tshabalala 55 ' Report Márquez 79 ' Soccer City, Johannesburg Attendance : 84,490 Referee : Ravshan Irmatov ( Uzbekistan ) South Africa Mexico GK 16 Itumeleng Khune RB Siboniso Gaxa CB Aaron Mokoena ( c ) CB 20 Bongani Khumalo LB 15 Lucas Thwala 46 ' RM 8 Siphiwe Tshabalala CM 13 Kagisho Dikgacoi 27 ' CM 12 Reneilwe Letsholonyane LW 11 Teko Modise SS 10 Steven Pienaar 83 ' CF 9 Katlego Mphela Substitutions : DF Tsepo Masilela 70 ' 46 ' FW 17 Bernard Parker 83 ' Manager : Carlos Alberto Parreira GK Óscar Pérez RB 12 Paul Aguilar 55 ' CB 5 Ricardo Osorio CB Francisco Javier Rodríguez LB Carlos Salcido DM Rafael Márquez CM 16 Efraín Juárez 18 ' CM 6 Gerardo Torrado ( c ) 57 ' RW 17 Giovani dos Santos LW 11 Carlos Vela 69 ' CF 9 Guillermo Franco 73 ' Substitutions : MF 18 Andrés Guardado 55 ' FW 10 Cuauhtémoc Blanco 69 ' FW 14 Javier Hernández 73 ' Manager : Javier Aguirre South Africa vs Mexico Man of the Match : Siphiwe Tshabalala ( South Africa ) Assistant referees : Rafael Ilyasov ( Uzbekistan ) Bakhadyr Kochkarov ( Kyrgyzstan ) Fourth official : Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh ( Malaysia ) Fifth official : Mu Yuxin ( China PR ) South Africa vs Uruguay 16 June 2010 20 : 30 South Africa 0 -- 3 Uruguay Report Forlán 24 ', 80 ' ( pen. ) Á. Pereira 90 + 5 ' Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria Attendance : 42,658 Referee : Massimo Busacca ( Switzerland ) South Africa Uruguay GK 16 Itumeleng Khune 76 ' RB Siboniso Gaxa CB Aaron Mokoena ( c ) CB 20 Bongani Khumalo LB Tsepo Masilela RM 8 Siphiwe Tshabalala CM 13 Kagisho Dikgacoi 42 ' CM 12 Reneilwe Letsholonyane 57 ' LW 11 Teko Modise SS 10 Steven Pienaar 6 ' 79 ' CF 9 Katlego Mphela Substitutions : MF 19 Surprise Moriri 57 ' GK Moeneeb Josephs 79 ' Manager : Carlos Alberto Parreira GK Fernando Muslera RB 16 Maxi Pereira CB Diego Lugano ( c ) CB Diego Godín LB Jorge Fucile 71 ' DM 15 Diego Pérez 90 ' RM 17 Egidio Arévalo Ríos LM 11 Álvaro Pereira AM 10 Diego Forlán CF 9 Luis Suárez CF 7 Edinson Cavani 89 ' Substitutions : MF 20 Álvaro Fernández 71 ' FW 21 Sebastián Fernández 89 ' MF 5 Walter Gargano 90 ' Manager : Óscar Tabárez Man of the Match : Diego Forlán ( Uruguay ) Assistant referees : Matthias Arnet ( Switzerland ) Francesco Buragina ( Switzerland ) Fourth official : Wolfgang Stark ( Germany ) Fifth official : Jan - Hendrik Salver ( Germany ) France vs South Africa 22 June 2010 16 : 00 France 1 -- 2 South Africa Malouda 70 ' Report Khumalo 20 ' Mphela 37 ' Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Attendance : 39,415 Referee : Óscar Ruiz ( Colombia ) France South Africa GK Hugo Lloris RB Bacary Sagna CB 5 William Gallas CB 17 Sébastien Squillaci LB 22 Gaël Clichy CM 18 Alou Diarra ( c ) 82 ' CM 19 Abou Diaby 71 ' RW 11 André - Pierre Gignac 46 ' AM 8 Yoann Gourcuff 25 ' LW 7 Franck Ribéry CF 9 Djibril Cissé 55 ' Substitutions : MF 15 Florent Malouda 46 ' FW 12 Thierry Henry 55 ' FW 10 Sidney Govou 82 ' Manager : Raymond Domenech GK Moeneeb Josephs RB 5 Anele Ngcongca 55 ' CB Aaron Mokoena ( c ) CB 20 Bongani Khumalo LB Tsepo Masilela CM 6 MacBeth Sibaya CM 23 Thanduyise Khuboni 78 ' RW 10 Steven Pienaar LW 8 Siphiwe Tshabalala CF 9 Katlego Mphela CF 17 Bernard Parker 68 ' Substitutions : DF Siboniso Gaxa 55 ' FW 18 Siyabonga Nomvethe 68 ' MF 11 Teko Modise 78 ' Manager : Carlos Alberto Parreira Man of the Match : Katlego Mphela ( South Africa ) Assistant referees : Abraham González ( Colombia ) Humberto Clavijo ( Colombia ) Fourth official : Héctor Baldassi ( Argentina ) Fifth official : Ricardo Casas ( Argentina ) Record players Lucas Radebe captained South Africa both in 1998 and in 2002. The central defender is South Africa 's joint record World Cup player. Benni McCarthy is both South Africa 's joint record player and joint top scorer at FIFA World Cups. He is the only South African to score at two different tournaments. No. Name Matches World Cups Quinton Fortune 6 1998 and 2002 Benni McCarthy 6 1998 and 2002 Lucas Radebe 6 1998 and 2002 Aaron Mokoena 6 2002 and 2010 5 Pierre Issa 1998 and 2002 MacBeth Sibaya 2002 and 2010 7 21 Players Top Goalscorers No. Name Goals World Cups Shaun Bartlett 1998 Benni McCarthy 1998 and 2002 Quinton Fortune 2002 Teboho Mokoena 2002 Siyabonga Nomvethe 2002 Lucas Radebe 2002 Bongani Khumalo Katlego Mphela Siphiwe Tshabalala References Jump up ^ 2006 FIFA World Cup TV Coverage ( PDF ), FIFA.com. Retrieved on June 6, 2007. Jump up ^ `` South Africa beat red - faced France and both bow out ''. Guardian UK. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` France 1 South Africa 2 ''. Daily Telegraph. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` France 1 South Africa 2 ''. BBC Sport. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` History of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition ( by year ) '' ( PDF ). FIFA. Retrieved 17 November 2011. ^ Jump up to : Holt, Oliver ( 11 June 2010 ). `` South Africa 1 - 1 Mexico : The Daily Mirror match report ''. Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010. Jump up ^ Maasdorp, James ( 12 June 2010 ). `` South Africa draws in pulsating WC opener ''. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010. Jump up ^ Tongue, Steve ( 12 June 2010 ). `` Marquez damps down incendiary show of South African pride ''. The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 29 June 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Match Appointments '' ( PDF ). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2010. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Tactical Line - up -- Group A -- South Africa - Mexico '' ( PDF ). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 June 2010. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Tactical Line - up -- Group A -- South Africa - Uruguay '' ( PDF ). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2010. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Tactical Line - up -- Group A -- France - South Africa '' ( PDF ). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010. External links South Africa at FIFA Countries at the FIFA World Cup Team appearances Teams with no appearances All - time table AFC Australia China Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Kuwait North Korea Saudi Arabia South Korea United Arab Emirates CAF Algeria Angola Cameroon DR Congo Egypt Ghana Ivory Coast Morocco Nigeria Senegal South Africa Togo Tunisia CONCACAF Canada Costa Rica Cuba El Salvador Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama Trinidad and Tobago United States CONMEBOL Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay OFC New Zealand UEFA Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark East Germany England France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name ( s ). Have been member of multiple confederations. Team and national federation no longer exist. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Africa_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=851152011 '' Categories : Countries at the FIFA World Cup South Africa national football team Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Nederlands Edit links This page was last edited on 20 July 2018, at 12 : 19 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did south africa hold the world cup
Answer: 2010