Bafana Bafana

British

/ baˈfɑːna /

plural noun

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.

South Africa's away shirt gives a nod to the kits worn by Bafana Bafana in 2010, when they hosted the World Cup - becoming the first African nation to do so.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 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

There has been a long-standing rivalry between the two footballing giants - the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2024

That was before the 1996 hosts, Kenya, were stripped of the tournament by Caf over financial irregularities, and Bafana Bafana were airlifted out of qualifying to host the tournament.

From The Guardian • Jan. 27, 2017

Bafana Bafana again couldn’t hold on to its lead and needs help to make the quarters.

From Washington Times • Jan. 23, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023