For a month, hundreds of millions across the globe were united by an immersive experience - vuvuzelas were blown to ear-defeaning decibels, songs were raised, chants were billowed, laughter rang out, and groans of disappointment were shared.
As OkayAfrica marks our 15th anniversary, we're taking a look back at 15 defining African moments of the past 15 years that deserve to be remembered, and the impact they've had. In chronological order, here's Moment No. 1.
In the 55th minute of the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Simphiwe Tshabalala fired South Africa’s Bafana Bafana into the lead. Most, if not all, of the nearly 85,000 people inside Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium instantly erupted at the sight of Tshabalala’s precise, left-footed strike hitting the back of the net.
The host country’s team scoring the opening goal at a World Cup expectedly draws jubilation, but this was even beyond that. Nevermind Bafana Bafana drew that opening match – the goal momentarily made the first men’s World Cup finals held on the African continent feel surreal. For a moment, it was the goal heard across the globe; 15 years later, it’s a goal that still echoes across Africa.
In the 55th minute of the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Simphiwe Tshabalala fired South Africa’s Bafana Bafana into the lead.
Illustration by Miguel Plascencia for OkayAfrica.
The word that’s perhaps most synonymous with the 2010 FIFA World Cup is color. Hosted by South Africa, that historic tournament was defined by pomp, the kind associated with joyous celebrations. The Rainbow Nation, sixteen years after emerging from the darkness of apartheid, pulled the world into a vivid splash of colorful revelry.
“It was so amazing seeing everything,” Dumisa Magaseni, a former professional football player and grassroots coach based in Masiphumelele, Cape Town, tells OkayAfrica. “We saw Brazilians play here and the rest of the world, and I’m sure they all had a nice time being here.”
For a month, hundreds of millions across the globe were united by an immersive experience rooted in the very unique peculiarities of South African and African footballing culture. Vuvuzelas were blown to ear-defeaning decibels, songs were raised, chants were billowed, laughter rang out, and groans of disappointment were shared. In the aftermath, the vuvuzela, once a local symbol of fanfare, became a staple among football spectators and fans around the world — a lasting echo of the unforgettable energy of the tournament.
Effusive, communal expressions are innately African. We gather to sing, tell stories, laugh and live generally. This is why most things that land on the continent, and eventually become rallying cultural points for us, receive a healthy dose of inculturation. Football has always had fans packing stadiums and providing atmosphere to the game; in Africa, football matches are often defined by a crackling electricity. That’s what the 2010 World Cup embodied.
In hindsight, and despite a corruption scandal attached to its bidding process years later, South Africa justified expectations as the most ideal candidate to host the first World Cup on African soil. Its premiership league (PSL) was the best developed in sub-Saharan Africa leading up to the tournament and remains one of the better examples for organizational competence across the entire continent.
Diski — as football is commonly referred to in South African townships — has a vibrant attending culture, especially tied to the PSL. In supporting local teams, South Africans troop to stadiums with painted faces and decorated hats and accessories, chanting hymns and blowing their vuvuzelas. It’s a distinct iteration of football fandom in Africa, especially where national teams are involved. All that color and celebrative cheer was visible everywhere — from Pretoria and Polokwane to Cape Town and Bloemfontein.
For a month, hundreds of millions across the globe were united by an immersive experience rooted in the very unique peculiarities of South African and African footballing culture.
Illustration by Miguel Plascencia for OkayAfrica.
As the atmosphere was electric, so too was the football exciting. Then infamous for being favorable to long range strikes, the Jabulani footballs aided some truly amazing bangers — from Sulley Muntari’s surface-level snipe against Uruguay in the second round, to Dutch full-back Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s unconscious strike, and a near-outrageous effort by Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan.
Generally, the drama on the pitch was worth tuning into. Spain won a tense final match in extra time, Brazil’s star-studded squad was unceremoniously dismissed in the quarterfinals, same as the Lionel Messi-led Argentina team, which was routed 4-0 by Germany. France and Italy, titans in world football, were sent packing in the group stage, both finishing at the bottom of their group. Although South Africa also exited in the group stage, Bafana Bafana beat the French team in their final group match, one of the tournament’s genuine shockers.
“There were a lot of positives, even on the pitch, because we got to see our style of play against these big football teams on our own soil,” Magaseni says. “I don’t think many African teams did too well or go far in that world cup but it gave hope that one day soon, we may be able to compete at a higher level, and you can see it even now with the results.”
Ghana was the only African team to make it out of the tournament’s group stage in 2010, losing in the quarterfinal phase courtesy of a penalty shootout. The Black Stars were within whiskers of becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup, as Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez stopped a surefire goal with his hands and the otherwise excellent Asamoah Gyan whacked the resulting penalty kick into a crossbar.
Twelve years later, Morocco crossed that threshold, beating Spain and Portugal in the second round and quarterfinals, respectively, of the last World Cup in Qatar. Coincidentally, Morocco will serve as World Cup co-hosts with Spain and Portugal in 2030, when the tournament makes its anticipated return to Africa.
Morocco will co-host the 2032 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, and the country also has the opportunity of an early dress rehearsal as AFCON host later this year.
Illustration by Miguel Plascencia for OkayAfrica.
In the 15 years since South Africa hosted the wholesome and wholly fun World Cup, one of its significant impacts has been internal, relating to the level of how well football tournaments can be organized on the continent. A premier example is how the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has grown in prestige due to the increased level of organizational competence, as shown by Cote d’Ivoire in 2024.
That’s why it’s easy to believe that Morocco will match or eclipse the high bar set by South Africa when its turn arrives in a few years. The north African country also has the opportunity of an early dress rehearsal as AFCON host later this year.
“The World Cup in South Africa may have been to show that football is also an African game but I think the organization [sur]passed what many people may have been expecting,” Magaseni says. “When another African country hosts, I don’t think many people will be surprised that we can put on a great show for the entire world.”
Africa is ready to put on a great show. Again.
