Sport has a significant role in South African culture. The three most popular mainstream sports in the country—cricket, football and rugby union—reflect the country's early British colonial influence. Approximately 70% of South Africans are interested in football, making it the most popular sport in the country, followed by rugby union and cricket.
South Africa was absent from international sport for much of the apartheid era due to sanctions, but started competing globally after the end of apartheid. South Africa is among a very few countries that have participated in world cups of all three major sports—cricket, football and rugby union. England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia are among other such nations. South Africa has hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup and 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and 2010 FIFA World Cup.
History
South Africa was banned from the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the apartheid policies. This ban effectively lasted until 1992. During this period, some athletes (such as Zola Budd and Kepler Wessels) left for other countries to compete internationally. Some athletes continued their sports careers in South Africa in isolation, with stars such as women's 400 metres runner Myrtle Bothma setting a world record at the South African championships.
Some sports teams toured South Africa as "Rebel Tours" and played the Springbok rugby union and cricket teams during the isolation period.
In 1977, Commonwealth Presidents and Prime Ministers agreed, as part of their support for the international campaign against apartheid, to discourage contact and competition between their athletes and sporting organisations, teams, or individuals from South Africa.
Regulation The National Sport and Recreation Act (1998) provides for the promotion and development of sport in South Africa and coordinates relationships among the Sports Commission, sports federations, and related agencies. It aims to correct imbalances in sport by promoting equity and democracy and by providing dispute-resolution mechanisms. It empowers the Minister to make regulations, and allows the Sports Commission (and NOCSA in respect of the Olympic Games) to coordinate, promote and develop sport in South Africa. Membership of the Sports Commission is open to a wide range of sports bodies, as long as these meet the criteria set by the commission. Sports bodies that permit forms of discrimination based on gender, race, disability, religion, or creed are, for instance, not allowed.
A draft amendment bill (December 2019) proposed by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture aims to strengthen the minister's regulatory control over sports codes (at local, provincial, or national levels), as well as clubs and fitness organisations. If accepted, a Sport Arbitration Tribunal will be created. The tribunal will determine the delegation of sporting powers and be tasked with resolving disputes between sports bodies. It will also regulate the fitness industry (registration and certification), establish procedures for bidding on and hosting international sports events, regulate combat sports, and determine offences and penalties (including imprisonment). Sports bodies would no longer operate independently but would promote their sports in consultation with the minister.
The role of sport in the formation of a South African identity, post-Apartheid Football has historically been particularly popular amongst persons of Indigenous African descent, although it does have a strong following amongst white South Africans as well and is South Africa's most popular sport overall. South Africa also hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The South Africa national rugby union team, which is nicknamed Springboks or the Bokke, are currently ranked no. 1 in the world in Rugby union, and have had multiple successful international and world cup campaigns. Rugby union is traditionally the most popular sport among white South Africans overall, with half of whites preferring it (cricket is a distant second, favored by 1 in 5 white South Africans). Today, rugby union is played and enjoyed amongst all races in South Africa. South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the first in Africa, and won it as well.
Cricket is popular among the English-speaking white and Indian communities. However, it has garnered an exponential following amongst other races in recent years. The national cricket team is nicknamed The Proteas. South Africa hosted the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup and 2007 ICC World Twenty20.
Other popular sports include: athletics, basketball, boxing, golf, netball, softball, field hockey, swimming, surfing and tennis.Sport in South Africa topendsports.com, accessed 3 December 2020. Women's sport Sport in South Africa is still primarily seen (in the words of a former member of Women and Sport South Africa) as "the domain of men". In 1997, one writer described "massive gender inequalities in the sporting structures of the country, and a strong association between sport and masculinity".
National teams and names South Africa's national sporting colours are green, gold and white. The protea is the national emblem worn by South Africans representing their country in sport.
The national rugby union teams are nicknamed the "Springboks", while the national cricket teams are known as the "Proteas".
Sport Men's Women's Australian rules football Lions n/a Cricket Proteas Proteas Soccer Bafana Bafana Banyana Banyana Field hockey AmaStokkie South Africa women's national field hockey team Mind Sports MWEB Protea Team MWEB Protea Team Netball n/a SPAR Proteas Rugby league Rhinos n/a Rugby sevens Blitzboks Blitzbok Women Rugby union Springboks Springbok Women Water polo Black Mamba South Africa women's national water polo team Ice Hockey Rhinos n/a
Elite level team sports Rugby union
Rugby union is the most popular team sport among white South Africans but has, in recent years, garnered a dedicated following among other ethnic groups. The national team is known as the Springboks. South Africa hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, marking its first appearance as it emerged from the isolation of the Apartheid era. The All Blacks' defeat in the final is remembered as one of the most famous South African sporting moments. The domestic league – the Currie Cup – is also played annually. From 1996, South Africa fielded sides against teams from Australia and New Zealand in the Super Rugby competition. This was expanded to include teams from Argentina and Japan. Still, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, South Africa withdrew and joined the United Rugby Championship, competing against teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Italy. This new alignment to the Northern Hemisphere led to South Africa's inclusion in the European Rugby Champions Cup from 2022.
After being tainted by associations with Apartheid, the Springboks (or 'Boks') have sought to become part of the 'New South Africa', with President Nelson Mandela wearing the Springbok jersey, once only worn by white South Africans, at the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
South Africa has won the Rugby World Cup four times: in 1995, 2007, 2019, and 2023, making it the only country in the world to do so.
Rugby sevens The South Africa national rugby sevens team (known as the Blitzbokke) compete in the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Summer Olympic Games, and the Commonwealth Games. They won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and the silver medal at the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens. They have won the Commonwealth Games tournament twice in 2014 and 2022. As of 2024, South Africa has won the Sevens World Series four times. The South Africa Sevens is an annual tournament held in Cape Town as the South African leg of the Sevens World Series.
Association football
Soccer, as the sport is most commonly known in South Africa, is the most popular team sport amongst all South Africans.
South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first African nation to host the tournament.
Bafana Bafana, as hosts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, were drawn in Group A with Mexico, Uruguay and France, they played their first match against Mexico which ended in a 11 draw in Johannesburg. They played their second match against Uruguay and the match ended in a 30 defeat in Pretoria, their last match was against France in Bloemfontein which South Africa needed more goals to advance to the knockout stages but the match ended in a 21 win that was not enough for them to progress to the knockout stages, thereby becoming the first host nation to exit at the group stage in history of World Cup. After the World Cup, the team continues to struggle, having missed the 2014, 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, but qualified for the 2026 edition of the tournament.
The team has made three appearances in the FIFA World Cup; 1998, 2002, and 2010 and, as of 2024, has made 11 appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations. Their best result was at the 1996 tournament, when, as hosts, they won the tournament.
Mamelodi Sundowns is the most successful team in the South African Premiership era, boasting the most appearances in the CAF Champions League (Champions in 2016), Africa Football League (inaugural winners in 2023) and in the FIFA Club World Cup (2016, 2025). Other popular teams include Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, often referred to as the Soweto rivals. The domestic cups are the MTN 8, Black Label Cup, and Nedbank Cup, while the international cups are CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. The sport's governing body is SAFA.
Cricket
Cricket is one of the most popular team sports in South Africa. The national team is known as the Proteas.
South Africa is one of the leading cricket-playing nations in the world and one of the twelve countries sanctioned to play test cricket, and won the 2023–2025 World Test Championship.
During apartheid, cricket was popular among English-speaking whites and the Asian (subcontinent) community. However, the latter were unable to compete at the highest level in South African cricket during the apartheid era. Since the end of the apartheid era, a higher proportion of white players have come from Afrikaans-speaking backgrounds, and attempts have been made to increase the number of non-white players, in part through a quota system.
The team has had success with batters like Herschelle Gibbs, who was one of the sport's most dominating batsmen, all-rounders like Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock, the former being one of the greatest all rounders of the game, and bowlers such as Makhaya Ntini, who reached number two in the ICC Player Rankings in 2006. Dale Steyn was ranked as one of the best test bowlers, and former captain Graeme Smith was one of the most dominant left-handed batsmen in recent world cricket history. Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has the world record for the most dismissals for a wicketkeeper in Tests. In 2006 in Johannesburg, in what was the highest scoring 50 over ODI ever, South Africa led by Gibbs' 175 chased down Australia's mammoth and then world record score of 434–4. South Africa hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup, an event that was disappointing for them, as they tied against Sri Lanka in what proved to be a farcical situation and were eliminated on home soil. In the 2007 Cricket World Cup, South Africa reached the semi-finals but lost to Australia. New Zealand eliminated them in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the same team also defeated them in the 2015 Cricket World Cup in a thrilling semi-final.
Field hockey Major events: Hockey Africa Cup of Nations, Hockey World Cup and Women's Hockey World Cup