{"id":32361,"date":"2025-10-15T13:33:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=32361"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:45:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:45:42","slug":"when-bafana-bafana-last-qualified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/when-bafana-bafana-last-qualified\/","title":{"rendered":"When Bafana Bafana Last Qualified: 10 Things That Make 2001 Feel Like a Different Planet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It is hard to believe, but almost 24 years have passed since Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan. While South Africa later entered the 2010 tournament as hosts, their last successful qualification through competition came in November 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, the world has changed in unimaginable ways from technology to pop culture to global events. In fact, many of today\u2019s football stars were infants or not even born when Bafana last celebrated their place on football\u2019s biggest stage. Here are 10 mind-blowing facts that show just how different the world was back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-erling-haaland-was-just-learning-to-walk\">1. Erling Haaland Was Just Learning to Walk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Manchester City\u2019s scoring machine Erling Haaland was barely toddling around when Bafana earned their spot in the 2002 World Cup. Born in July 2000, the striker had yet to dream of dominating European football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3633751753\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-billie-eilish-didn-t-exist-yet\">2. Billie Eilish Didn\u2019t Exist Yet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Global pop icon Billie Eilish, known for hits like Bad Guy, was born in December 2001, just a month after Bafana wrapped up their qualification. Fans of her music had not even entered the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-the-world-was-still-reeling-from-9-11\">3. The World Was Still Reeling from 9\/11<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The September 11 attacks in the United States had occurred just two months earlier. The world was grappling with the aftermath as the U.S. launched its war on terror, highlighting how different global priorities were when Bafana celebrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2695996125\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-smartphones-were-science-fiction\">4. Smartphones Were Science Fiction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The iPhone, now a global staple, would not exist for another six years. In 2001, Nokia and Motorola ruled the mobile world, and the idea of touchscreens and app stores was pure fantasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-uber-and-ride-hailing-were-a-dream\">5. Uber and Ride-Hailing Were a Dream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The modern convenience of ride-hailing apps was not on the horizon. Uber only appeared in 2009, making it a concept as distant as flying cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1699104236\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-millie-bobby-brown-was-still-a-baby-idea\">6. Millie Bobby Brown Was Still a Baby Idea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The future star of Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown, would not be born until 2004. The world of Netflix and streaming fame was completely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-coco-gauff-was-not-yet-born\">7. Coco Gauff Was Not Yet Born<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>American tennis sensation Coco Gauff, two-time Grand Slam champion, entered the world in March 2004, highlighting just how long it has been since Bafana last qualified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2882138075\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-8-carlos-alcaraz-was-a-future-concept\">8. Carlos Alcaraz Was a Future Concept<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Current men\u2019s tennis world number one Carlos Alcaraz was born in May 2003, meaning his parents were still planning his arrival while South Africa celebrated its qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-9-social-media-was-nonexistent\">9. Social Media Was Nonexistent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Platforms like Facebook did not exist until 2004, so there was no tweeting, posting, or sharing online when Bafana made history. Fans relied on newspapers, television, and word-of-mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-151716419\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-10-gmail-was-still-a-dream\">10. Gmail Was Still a Dream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even the most widely used email service, <a href=\"https:\/\/iol.co.za\/sport\/soccer\/2025-10-15-10-mind-blowing-facts-from-the-last-time-bafana-qualified-for-a-fifa-world-cup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gmail<\/a>, was still three years away from launch. In 2001, Hotmail and Yahoo ruled inboxes worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-reminder-of-how-far-we-have-come\">A Reminder of How Far We Have Come<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bafana Bafana\u2019s last qualification serves as a time capsule of a world that feels almost prehistoric today. From pop culture to technology, nearly everything has changed, but the hope of seeing Bafana back at the World Cup continues to inspire a new generation of fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/what-bafana-bafana-need-reach-world-cup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Calculators Out: What Bafana Bafana Need to Reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is hard to believe, but almost 24 years have passed since Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan. While South Africa later entered the 2010 tournament as hosts, their last successful qualification through competition came in November 2001. Since then, the world has changed in unimaginable ways from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":32362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"It is hard to believe, but almost 24 years have passed since Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan. While South Africa later...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[356,286,284,11108],"class_list":{"0":"post-32361","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-2026-fifa-world-cup","10":"tag-bafana-bafana","11":"tag-football-news","12":"tag-latest-sports-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32361"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32363,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32361\/revisions\/32363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}