South Africa: Top Sports Events Overview
At the moment, the South African Premier League matches are taking place.
There is no denying that South Africa is one of those countries incredibly passionate about cricket, football and rugby. Therefore, it is no wonder that these athletes try to stake their claim in the international sporting arena.
Football
South Africa’s national football team, commonly known as Bafana Bafana, is a favorite with South Africans. Football stands are always packed with large crowds of dedicated football fans and, of course, it comes as no surprise that South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
At the moment, the South African Premier League matches are taking place. Amazulu and Bloemfontein Celtic met at King Zwelithini Stadium on January 24, with the match ending in a goalless draw. The full league statistics as well as live match data can be found at Stakers.com.
Cricket
Being the second most popular sport in South Africa, cricket has always attracted enormous attention. The national cricket team, known as the Proteas, are perceived as local heroes, with their games always in the spotlight.
Cricket South Africa recently named two uncapped ODI players, Khaya Zondo and Lungi Ngidi, for the team to play India in the first three Momentum ODIs next month. With the return of Morne Morkel and Chris Morris, who missed the previous ODI series because of injury, the team is expected to become even stronger. According to Linda Zondi, CSA National Selection Panel Convener, this can also be seen as a continuation of CSA’s vision for 2019 as it develops the squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Rugby
The South African rugby team, the Springboks, is one of the most outstanding in the history of the sport. It takes part in two international tournaments, the Rugby Championship (formerly known as the Tri-Nations), competing against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, and the Rugby World Cup. The national team has won the World Cup title twice, in 1995 and 2007. The next Rugby World Cup takes place in Japan in September 2019. The Springboks are ready to take up the challenge.
South African athletes have not failed to forge their own sports identity and hold a firm position on the world stage. Continued interest in sport can be also illustrated by the popularity of sports betting, which was legalised in the country in the year 2000.
