Gayton McKenzie vows to send 50 'Faces of Africa' to cheer for Bafana Bafana at the World Cup

If you were at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday, February 1, you probably felt that 2010 magic in the air again!

The iconic FIFA World Cup Trophy made a grand entrance, and let’s just say, she’s looking good in the South African sun.

This visit was particularly significant as it celebrates Bafana Bafana's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - their first time back on the global stage in 16 years, and South Africa is officially ready to gatecrash the 2026 party in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie (aka the "Minister of Happiness") wasn’t just there for the selfies. He’s convinced the trophy isn't just visiting - it’s scouting its future home.

"This means a lot, let me tell you, the fact that the Cup is here, we made sure it comes here, but let me tell you the real reason why the Cup is here.

"When you are going to move into a place, the first thing you do is go and check out everything, so the Cup is here to come and check out where it is going to stay for the next four years, bra, we going to win this Cup, I am telling you.

"People can call me mad, people can call me crazy, we going to win this Cup. This Bafana Bafana are calculated, they know what they doing, these guys have got more than 20 games without a loss, this is a serious team," he said.

McKenzie also wants to make sure the "12th man" (that’s us, the fans!) gets to North America. He teased some epic plans:

"You've got the Minister for Sport, the 'Minister of Happiness', a minister that makes things happen. Let me tell you there's going to be fan parks, there's going to be competitions.

"We even running a competition where 50 of the 'Face of Africa' can go to the World Cup. So people, you must put your face there, even if it's a guy or woman ... Our women here are more beautiful than those women (overseas), that is a fact.

"We going to have competitions of people that can dance, people that can make food.

"We are taking artists, dancers, podcasters, so that everybody can get the feel of what's happening. They not going for holiday, they going to go and make sure the people there must know what's happening.

"You are going to see a movie come this one. I'm a minister that makes things happen," he said.

While the mood has been largely celebratory, the tour was also met with some political noise.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and certain local groups have called for a boycott of the 2026 tournament due to disagreements with US immigration policies. However, this has not dampened the spirits of supporters.

With the Cape Town Trophy Tour wrapped up, the FIFA World Cup Trophy is now entering its next phase of the global tour.

The trophy will have a short "resting period" for logistics before it launches the North American portion of the tour.

It is expected to arrive in Mexico on Thursday, February 26, until March 22.