Why an international study says Bafana Bafana fans have the hardest road to the 2026 World Cup

Any supporter of Bafana Bafana who has attempted to reserve flights, secure match tickets, and process a visa application will likely concur with the GIGAcalculator assessment of countries. This assessment evaluates the actual expenses involved in reaching the group stage, factoring in flight and travel costs alongside typical flight times and the hurdles associated with visa approvals.

Haiti and Iran are omitted from the ranking because of current travel limitations.

South Africa ranks first among 38 countries with available information, earning a difficulty rating of 9.53 out of 10. This places it ahead of Uzbekistan at 9.18 and Ivory Coast at 8.86.

The figures for South Africa feature an average round trip flight expense of R27,053 from Johannesburg to attend a group match, an average journey length of 19.3 hours which is the longest for any supporters, the maximum visa challenge rating of 20, and total match ticket prices of R8,759 for all games, a figure that could be seen as optimistic.

Per this measurement and the investigation, supporters of Bafana Bafana encounter the most formidable obstacles in travelling to the World Cup.

South Africa faces co hosts Mexico in the opening fixture in Mexico City on 11 June, followed by a match versus the Czech Republic in Atlanta on 18 June. Afterwards, they head back to Mexico to confront South Korea in Monterrey on 24 June.

The remaining spots in the top ten go to Tunisia at 8.67, Egypt at 8.54, Argentina at 8.50, Qatar at 8.45, Ghana at 8.15, Jordan at 8.05, and Paraguay at 8.05.

It is worth noting that the information excludes the Democratic Republic of Congo along with other countries that earned qualification in Marchs FIFA period. However, Morocco emerges as the leading African nation for relative ease, holding a difficulty rating of 6.03.

The investigation suggests that the simplest travels will be undertaken by fans from France with 2.99, Norway at 3.43, England at 3.81, Colombia at 4.00, and Germany at 4.85.