South Africa’s World Cup campaign opened with defeat on Thursday, but the reaction across Africa quickly became about more than football.
Bafana Bafana lost 2-0 to Mexico in the tournament’s opening match, prompting a wave of jokes, memes and online trolling from African fans who openly backed the co-hosts rather than the continent’s own representative.
The posts were often light-hearted, filled with sombreros, tacos, mariachi jokes and Mexican flags. But behind the banter was a sharper political message: anger over rising anti-migrant sentiment and reports of xenophobic intimidation in South Africa.
For many African fans online, South Africa’s defeat became a symbolic moment to hit back.
“You want people to cheer for you when you play soccer just because we’re African?” one user wrote, referring to the treatment of migrants in the country.
Another joked that they were supporting Mexico so South Africa could “go back home early to protect their jobs,” a pointed reference to claims by anti-migrant groups that foreigners are responsible for the country’s high unemployment.
Kenyan lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi also joined the online reaction, writing that he hoped South Africa would not blame African migrants for the 2-0 defeat and two red cards.
Others changed profile pictures to Mexican flags, adopted Spanish-style names and shared posts under slogans such as “Mexico versus xenophobia.”
Daniel Kaniki, a Congolese fan watching at a fan park in Atlanta, told the BBC that the backlash reflected a deeper rupture in African solidarity.
“Africa is like one country and if one is chasing others, we are not a family any more. That’s why I’m supporting Mexico today,” he said.
But not all African fans joined the trolling. Ghanaian supporter Vanlare Quist, also watching in Atlanta, said he supported South Africa because they were representing the continent, arguing that anti-immigrant sentiment in the country was driven by a minority.
In South Sudan, fans gathered in public viewing centres in Juba backed Bafana Bafana, citing their country’s historic affinity with South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle.
“As South Sudanese, we are behind South Africa and will continue to support South Africa because they are representing Africa,” student George Kenyi Charles Rehan told the BBC.
The South African government praised the team after the match, saying Bafana Bafana had shown “unity, determination, and a sense of pride” despite the disappointing result.
South African fans also pushed back against the criticism online, with some saying the country had qualified without outside support and would not change its position on illegal migration.
“We qualified for the World Cup alone without your support and whether we win or lose we will remain South Africans who love their country,” one user wrote.
The backlash comes amid growing concern over the treatment of migrants in South Africa, where foreign nationals from other African countries have faced intimidation and violence in recent weeks.
Anti-migrant groups have set a June 30 deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned against vigilantism, saying only authorised officials can enforce the law, while also acknowledging that South Africans’ concerns about migration should be addressed.
Nigeria this week became the latest country to repatriate some of its citizens from South Africa. Ghana, Zimbabwe and Malawi have also carried out evacuations, saying they are taking the threats seriously.
South Africa remains one of 10 African teams competing at the expanded World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Despite the opening defeat, Bafana Bafana still have two group-stage matches to try to recover.
But for now, their loss has exposed how quickly football banter can turn into a continent-wide argument over migration, xenophobia and the limits of African unity.