Bafana Bafana's Ronwen Williams channels "Ke Nako" energy ahead of Mexico World Cup opener

While the arrival of the official Fifa World Cup trophy on South African shores on Friday sent the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and some members of the football fraternity into a frenzy, it dawned on Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams that “ke nako” – the time is here.

Bafana are set to return to the global showpiece in June for the first time since qualifying as hosts in 2010. Their return to the event restored the nation’s pride and reaffirmed the country’s status as a football nation, having last automatically qualified for the biggest football spectacle in 2002 – some 24 years ago.

As per Fifa custom to ensure that most of the 48 qualified countries get to experience football’s ultimate prize up close and personal, the official trophy landed at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday and made its way to the country’s main homestead, the Union Buildings, where it was handed over to national leader Ramaphosa.

On Saturday, the public – particularly supporters – got to see the trophy at the Nasrec Expo Centre in the south of Johannesburg, a stone’s throw away from where Bafana hosted Mexico in the opening match of the global showpiece in 2010, when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the tournament’s opening goal.

Tshabalala, alongside football legend Marcel Desailly – who won the World Cup with France in 1998 – graced both events in Pretoria and Johannesburg, amplifying the World Cup fever that has descended on the country.

Williams, who is set to lead Bafana in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup opening fixture when they face this year’s co-hosts Mexico on 11 June at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, revealed what it meant to hear Ramaphosa’s message of support and to see the trophy in person.

“Getting the message from the president himself, it’s finally settling in. We can feel that it’s close and just a few months away,” Williams said at the Union Buildings. “We now know that we’ll go to the tournament with 62 million supporters.”

While the tournament may only be five months away, the players still have to carry out their club duties to the best of their ability, especially given the demands of the second half of the season. Williams has urged them to remain focused.

“You must just do what you have to do: represent your teams,” Williams stated. “There’s a lot at stake. Some are chasing the league (the Betway Premiership), the CAF Champions League, the Nedbank Cup, or survival. So there’s a lot to play for.

"You try to stay fit and injury-free, but you don’t think too far ahead because anything can happen. Hopefully, we won’t have any major injuries, and we can go all out with our soldiers. We saw at AFCON that we missed some of our soldiers: the guys who know it all and have been around.”

With Bafana having been on a high before a disappointing AFCON campaign, Williams has urged his teammates to live up to expectations at the World Cup, particularly by following in the footsteps of their rugby and cricket counterparts, who are back-to-back world champions and World Test Champions, respectively.

“There’s so much riding on this tournament – not only for us, but for the country,” Williams said. “We know how much this means to everyone. We are obviously under pressure as a team because the rugby and cricket national teams, athletics, and every other sporting code in the country are doing well. We were part of that too – we did well at the 2023 AFCON and nearly went two years unbeaten.

“It was a very good space for South African football, but the main thing was to qualify for the World Cup. We did that, and look at what it did for the country. It gave hope and showed everyone that their dreams are valid.”

Despite returning from AFCON with their tails between their legs after finishing in the last 16, Williams identified the key area they need to improve on at the World Cup. “When we look at South African football in major tournaments, we always talk about inefficiency in front of goal,” Williams said. “We create a lot of chances, but it takes us five chances to score.”

The World Cup trophy tour in South Africa is set to make its final stop in Cape Town on Sunday, where the public will have the opportunity to see the official silverware live before rallying behind Bafana at the main event in North America.