South Africa on the brink of hosting IFA7 World Cup, but delayed by a missing document

These are the words of SAFA NEC member, Budda Mathathe, who is also the President of IFA7 Africa.

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“I have already put together all the documentation that is required for hosting. The only challenge I am facing right now is that SAFA is delaying the final document before work could commence. But I have escalated the matter to FIFA, to CAF, to the Minister of Sport as well as the Premier of Gauteng, as well as prominent football persons in the country for their input in this case. Hopefully this will be resolved, and we will be able to put South Africa on the world map again,” said Mathathe.

“This will be a huge economic boost for South Africa, taking into consideration that the tournament has never been held in Africa. Should we get the go ahead, we would have again made history as being the only country on the continent to host a competition of this magnitude, following on the heels of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

IFA7 is strong in South America, and its headquarters are in Canada. Instead of the normal 11v11 or the 5v5 like in Futsal, the game uses seven players, hence the name IFA7.

Mathathe, who is also the President of the South African Masters and Legends Football Association (SAMLFA), has been tasked with building a base on the African continent for this version of the game of football.

“IFA7 has hosted several World Cup and Nations Cup tournaments, and most of them have been held in South America. I met the IFA7 International President, Daniel Balcorta in Spain, and we set the ball rolling immediately. I already have a signed agreement document of owning the hosting rights as well as commercial rights to the tournament in Africa. The organisation does not have a footprint in Africa, and my mandate is to set up structures on this continent,” added Mathathe.

Another project Mathathe is organizing is a World Legends vs Africa Legends match to be held on the African continent for the first time ever.

“This game was initially scheduled for 29 March 2025 but has since been moved to the 19th of April 2025 because of the SAFA President's reluctance to sign the endorsement letter. This is another massive project we are working on, and following the delay in getting the endorsement, we may have to move the event to Ghana. We have already engaged the Ghanaians, and I can tell you they are very keen and excited about this one, so much so that they have already made available their national stadium and a prominent venue for the gala dinner the evening before. Nothing has been concluded for now, but an announcement is imminent,” said an excited Mathathe.

“I don’t want to reveal much regarding the football legends expected to descend on the African continent, but safe to say that Brazilian star Ronaldinho is the face of the World Legends team, while football magician Jay Jay Okocha of Nigeria is the face of the African Legends team. The full list will be revealed when the announcement is made.”

Over and above the two world class projects, Mathathe says South African teams – 7v7 men and females U20 National Teams and a SA Football Legends Team have been invited to participate in a prestigious world class Nations Cup tournament for the first time to represent the African continent. The seven-a-side version of the Nations Cup – the IFA7 World Nations Cup, will take place in Alicante, Spain from 13 – 16 February 2025.

“We are seriously considering honouring the invitation, but we have to sort out some logistics first before we can confirm our participation and send teams over. This is another great opportunity for this country to export their skills in a huge tournament like the IFA7 World Nations Cup. We are really excited with the invite,” concluded Mathathe.

Should they get the go ahead, the South Africans will compete against, among others, England, Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Ecuador, Argentina, USA, Chile.