African Fans Turn On South Africa After World Cup Opener Defeat

When the final whistle confirmed South Africa’s 2–0 loss to Mexico, the anticipated wave of continental solidarity never materialised. Instead, social media erupted in gleeful mockery—not just of Bafana Bafana’s lacklustre performance, but of the nation itself.
Across Africa, many fans openly celebrated the defeat, donning sombreros, sharing taco memes, and changing their profile pictures to Mexican flags. The hashtag “Mexico versus xenophobia” trended for hours.
Behind the humour lay a deeper grievance: recent reports of xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa. For many, Thursday’s match became a symbolic reckoning.
“You can’t chase our people away and then exp...