4 min readChandigarhUpdated: Jun 25, 2026 09:41 PM IST
From being ridiculed in some quarters as arguably the worst team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a game and a half, South Africa upset the odds by sealing their passage to the knockout rounds, a feat they hadn’t achieved in their previous three appearances, even when they hosted the tournament in 2010.
And they did it without enduring the agony and suspense of the virtual contest among the third-place finishers in the 12 groups, advancing by right as the second-place finishers in Group A behind co-hosts Mexico.
The hero in the 1-0 win over South Korea was Thapelo Maseko, the 22-year-old son of a truck driver. He grew up in Eatonside in Sebokeng in South Africa and the father still recalls the daunting journey to World Cup glory.
“As the breadwinner, I sacrificed a lot for his career. I was actually the only person who was working. You had to get soccer boots and when they go to games, you had to organise their food. Basically, it was tough. I’m still working actually,” Motsamai Maseko had told Radio2000 earlier this month. “After Afcon (African Cup of Nations), he bought the family a house in Kempton Park where I live with his mother and brothers.”
The response when Thapelo’s name was announced in the World Cup squad was also out of the ordinary.
“We were so excited. When his name was called out, his mother cried so much that we almost called an ambulance for her (laughs),” he said.
South Africa’s Thapelo Maseko (12) celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Africa and South Korea in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo)
Thapelo’s mother remembers the occasion vividly when her son’s name was announced by head coach Hugo Broos in a televised broadcast.
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“I didn’t believe it when they called his name on TV. I was crying so much and before the announcement, I had a running stomach. And they were laughing at me. My children said they are going to call an ambulance (laughs). When they announced Maseko, I wanted to know whether somebody had called me. But then I realise they have announced Thapelo as the 26th name. And then I prayed,” Mihan Maseko said in the interview.
Football in the genes
Both the parents played football in their youth with Motsamai being a defender. The eldest of three siblings, Thapelo made his way to the youth academy of SuperSport United FC, making his debut for the club in 2021 and that for South Africa the next year. At the AFCON in 2024, he was named by FIFA as one of the African players to watch out for in the future.
There was interest from Belgian club KVC Westerlo in 2023 but the youngster was signed by 13-time South African Premiership winners Mamelodi Sundowns.
What followed was one of the toughest phases of Maseko’s young career as he would play only 13 games for the club the following season and the team even dropped him to the reserve side.
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“The fire in me is fading. I don’t even know when it started… I still train like my life depends on it, still push through every tired muscle, every mental battle, but inside it feels empty. The game that once lit up my soul now feels different, heavier, colder. It’s a strange kind of pain, giving everything you have yet feeling unseen,” the youngster had posted on Instagram.
The striker was eventually loaned to AEL Limassol in Cyprus, playing 12 matches and scoring one goal. Through the tough times, Maseko’s family has stood by him.
“I have a very supportive family and I also went to a couple of therapy sessions here and there, and it’s helped me a lot. The lows are painful and the highs are amazing and incredible,” Maseko had told South African media.
