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Bafana Bafana

British  
/ baˈfɑːna /

plural noun

  1. the official name for the South African national soccer team

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Bafana Bafana

C20: from Nguni bafana the boys

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Granted, South Korea may disagree after a shock 1-0 defeat by South Africa on Wednesday sent Bafana Bafana into the knockout stage for the first time.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

In South Sudan, fans at public viewing centres in the the capital, Juba, were also backing Bafana Bafana.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the next three World Cups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

Earlier, Oswin Appollis converted a late penalty to give South Africa victory against Zimbabwe in Marrakesh as Bafana Bafana qualified for the knockout stage.

From Barron's ● Dec. 29, 2025

On the eve of the final, the leading Afrikaans-language daily Beeld's front-page headline was written in Zulu: 'Yebo Bafana Bafana!'

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2022

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