Football in South Africa is the most widely played sport in the land, with its traditional support base in the black community. For many South Africans, the country's proudest sporting moment came when we won the African Nations Cup on home turf in 1996. With the hosting of the world cup 2010 in South Africa, the country serves as a representative for all African countries, being the first from the continent to host this , the greatest sporting event in the world.

Soccer, as it is more commonly called here,  is intensely followed, and the quality of the local game keeps improving adding to the increase in local players playing for international football clubs.
Local teams, organised in a national league, are followed with passion by football crazy, noisy fans. One of the noisiest instrument, not being their vocal chords, but a trumpet-like invention called a vuvuzela. Thankfully, South African football fans do not follow the trend of hooliganism we sometimes witness in other footballing nations.

Bafana Bafana
One of the first gifts that democracy brought South Africa was its first truly representative national soccer team.
In 1992, two years before the country's first democratic election, the united South African team came into being, playing Cameroon in its first match in Durban.

Bafana Bafana or "The Boys",after learning to play with the big boys of Africa,  went on to host the 1996 African Nations Cup,  and won the cup, beating Tunisia 2-0 in the final. The team hopes to do really well in the world cup 2010, especially after faring well in the confed cup held in 2009.

Banyana Banyana
South Africa's senior women's team, Banyana Banyana  "The Girls" – have traditionally been the strongest team in southern Africa and one of the best in Africa. They were successfully crowned Cosafa (Confederation of Southern African Football Associations) champions in 2002 and 2006. The only African team the some a close second to are giants Nigeria, who beat them in continental competition. Banyana Banyana finished runner-up to Nigeria at the CAF African Women's Championship in 2000, and second at the All Africa Games in 2003 and 2007.

Premier Soccer League
South Africa's top soccer league, featuring the country's best 16 clubs, came into being in 1997.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has raised the standard of club football in South Africa, providing the sport with better media coverage and much-improved revenue through strong sponsorship deals. It has also provided a platform for local players to make their mark and further their careers on an international level.

The top PSL clubs in South Africa are:

Kaizer Chiefs
One of SA's most successful teams, the Soweto-based team secured their first African title in 2002 by winning the Cup Winners Cup – renamed the Mandela Cup – beating Inter Luanda of Angola in the final. The "Amakhozi" are so popular, they often draw more supporters at away games than their opposition!

Orlando Pirates
Formed in 1937, Orlando Pirates has a support base extending across the country's borders.In 1995"The Buccaneers" became the only South African team so far to have won Africa's premier club competition, the Champions League.

The fierce traditional rivalry between Pirates and Chiefs makes for one of the biggest derby matches, as they are also Soweto based.

Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United
While Chiefs and Pirates have long battled for the title of South Africa's most popular club, other outfits have emerged to challenge for the position, among them two Pretoria-based clubs: Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United.

Mamelodi Sundowns, also known as "The Brazilians" have been the most successful team since the formation of the Premier Soccer League in 1997, winning the title on five occasions.

SuperSport United was formed in 1994, named after pay-television company M-Net's popular sports channel.
SuperSport United have the reputation as one of the most successful youth academies in the country.

So football, soccer whatever you may call it, is definitely as loved in South Africa as any other footbal playing nation aruond the globe. FIFA World Cup 2010, South Africa awaits you!

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