South Africa national football team will base themselves in Pachucamexico” for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a high-altitude location above Johannesburg Bafana Bafana open the tournament against co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium on June 11, before facing a European qualifier in Atlanta a week later. Their final Group A fixture is against South Korea on June 24 in Guadalupe, within the greater Monterrey metropolitan area.

SAFA has chosen the Pachuca Universidad del Futbol, a football and sports sciences academy linked to local club CF Pachuca, as the team’s training base. The campus features extensive pitches and top-level facilities. Bafana Bafana will stay at the five-star Camino Real Pachuca, set amid gardens and forests just 5 km from the city center.

Pachuca is roughly 90 km north of Mexico City via Federal Highway 85, offering convenient travel to the opening match. It is about a 90-minute flight to Monterrey for their third game and a three-hour flight to Atlanta.

The team will utilize the facilities of CF Pachuca, founded in 1892 and the oldest club in the country, competing in Liga MX, Mexico’s top division.

At 2,432m above sea level, Pachuca sits significantly higher than Johannesburg (1,753m) yet enjoys a mild summer climate with frequent rainfall. Average daily temperatures in June hover around 22°C, providing a respite from the intense heat expected in other North American host cities.

Bafana Bafana return to the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010. This marks their fourth appearance at the tournament following first-round exits in 1998, 2002, and 2010.