Assessing Bafana Bafana Stars’ Overseas Transfers After the 2026 World Cup

South Africa’s return to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been followed by a significant spread of overseas transfers, with four members of the Bafana Bafana squad changing clubs after the 28 June round-of-32 defeat to Canada. Relebohile Mofokeng, Olwethu Makhanya, Thapelo Maseko and Lyle Foster have all entered new situations abroad, while a further group of South African players have secured moves across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and MLS.

What changed for the club

Mofokeng completed his switch from Orlando Pirates to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise immediately after the World Cup, having travelled to Belgium once the tournament ended. The clubs had already reached an agreement in principle before the finals. The forward departed after helping Pirates win the Premiership and later receiving the Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Season award.

He has settled quickly at RUSG, scoring three times in his first five Jupiler Pro League appearances and collecting the Belgian Super Cup. It is an early indication that the step from domestic football to the Belgian champions has been well timed.

Makhanya has moved from Philadelphia Union to Rangers on a permanent basis. Rangers responded to a poor opening to the campaign by winning five consecutive matches in all competitions, conceding just one goal during that run, with the South African defender making an immediate impression in Glasgow.

Maseko’s position was less clear when his loan at AEL Limassol ended, after he had fallen out of favour at Mamelodi Sundowns before joining the Cypriot club midway through last season. His World Cup contribution changed the picture: the winger scored against South Korea to secure South Africa’s first qualification for a World Cup knockout round. He subsequently completed a permanent transfer to FC Copenhagen and struck twice in a 5-0 victory over Odense.

Foster has joined Houston Dynamo on loan from Burnley. The 26-year-old striker was already a Burnley player before the temporary MLS move and will look for the regular goals and confidence that were difficult to establish in England. The loan also gives him an opportunity to strengthen his standing with the national side.

• Relebohile Mofokeng: Orlando Pirates to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
• Olwethu Makhanya: Philadelphia Union to Rangers.
• Thapelo Maseko: Mamelodi Sundowns to FC Copenhagen.
• Lyle Foster: Burnley to Houston Dynamo, on loan.

Competition context

South Africa were back at the World Cup for the first time in 16 years. Their squad for the 2026 finals contained seven players based outside the country, a notable increase from the group that finished third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, played in Ivory Coast in early 2024. Only three members of that AFCON squad were employed abroad at club level.

The increase in overseas representation has continued beyond Hugo Broos’ World Cup selection. Thato Sibiya, the South Africa Under-20 left-back, has joined LOSC Lille from Mamelodi Sundowns on loan with an option to buy. Sibiya had recently reached the Sundowns first team but faced three established senior left-backs in his path. He has also extended his Sundowns contract, preserving a route back to Chloorkop should Lille not make the move permanent.

Other completed moves involving South African players include:

• Shandre Campbell: Club Brugge to Kortrijk.
• Tylon Smith: QPR to New England Revolution, on loan with an option to buy.
• Tshegofatso Mabasa: Orlando Pirates to MAS Fès.
• Devin Titus: Stellenbosch FC to MAS Fès.
• Neo Maema: Mamelodi Sundowns to Simba SC, on loan.
• Fagrie Lakay: Ceramica Cleopatra to Al-Ahli Tripoli.
• Sipho Mbule: Orlando Pirates to Zakho SC.
• Keletso Makgalwa: Sekhukhune United to Simba SC.
• Luke le Roux: Portsmouth to Cercle Brugge.
• Bongani Zungu: AmaZulu to Malappuram FC.
• Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi: Orlando Pirates to Al-Khaldiya.
• Kgaogelo Sekgota: Siwelele to Petrojet.
• Njabulo Blom: Nam Dinh FC to Borneo FC.

What is scheduled next

No further South Africa fixture or squad announcement is set out in the current update. The immediate decisions lie with the players’ new clubs: Copenhagen will assess whether Maseko can sustain his early scoring form, Rangers will seek to extend their five-match winning sequence with Makhanya involved, and Houston Dynamo will give Foster the platform to rebuild his output on loan.

For Mofokeng and Sibiya, the next stage is particularly significant. Mofokeng has made an emphatic start in Belgium after leaving Pirates, while Sibiya’s Lille agreement contains an option to buy and could determine whether his move becomes permanent. Their club progress, alongside the form of the other recent arrivals abroad, will shape the pool available to South Africa after a World Cup campaign that has already altered the market for several Bafana Bafana players.