JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Jayden Adams, a South Africa international midfielder who played in all three of Bafana Bafana’s group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has died at 25, the country’s sports ministry said.
The Jayden Adams death was announced on Saturday, July 11, 2026, weeks after South Africa reached the knockout rounds of the World Cup for the first time.
No cause of death was given.
Adams, who played for Mamelodi Sundowns, started South Africa’s Group A matches against Mexico and the Czech Republic and came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win over South Korea that secured the team’s progress.
South Africa were later eliminated by Canada in the knockout stage.
His death drew tributes from football officials, players’ representatives and supporters in South Africa and beyond.
“South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer,” the South African Football Players’ Union said in a statement.
Jayden Adams Death Mourned by South African Football
Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s minister of sport, also expressed condolences to Adams’s family, teammates and supporters.
“Our nation mourns alongside his family, his teammates and the millions of supporters who watched him grow from a promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international,” McKenzie said in a statement.
Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, also offered condolences on Instagram, saying his “thoughts and condolences, as well as those of everyone at FIFA and the global football community, are with his family, friends and teammates”.
Adams had endured personal loss during the World Cup.
His grandmother died a day before South Africa played the Czech Republic, and he was substituted at halftime in that match.
From Stellenbosch to Sundowns
Adams came through the youth system at Stellenbosch FC before joining Mamelodi Sundowns in January 2025.
At Sundowns, he became part of a team that won the African Champions League title in the 2025/26 season.
He made his senior international debut for South Africa against Mozambique in 2022.
He went on to earn 13 caps for Bafana Bafana and scored two goals, both in qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
For South African football, his death comes soon after one of the national team’s most significant World Cup campaigns, a run in which Adams was part of the squad that helped Bafana Bafana advance beyond the group stage for the first time.
