Expats bring the green and gold to LA

Thousands of kilometres from South Africa, pockets of green and gold filled the stands to cheer Bafana Bafana on in their historic Fifa World Cup round of 32 encounter with Canada. 

The match in Los Angeles marked South Africa’s first appearance in the knockout stages of a Fifa World Cup, and for many South African expats, the chance to witness such a moment was simply too significant to miss. Although Bafana Bafana’s campaign ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat, the experience of being there to support the team made the journey worthwhile for many fans. 

Danna Sachs, an expat hairstylist living in Santa Monica, California, explained that once she had found out that South Africa would be playing in Los Angeles, she had known she had to be there. 

“It’s a no-brainer because I’m going to go support my homeland. But the tickets were insanely expensive. So I just kept looking every day, every hour, give or take. I would just go through and look at the tickets. And by Saturday, they were slowly coming down,” she said. She managed to get affordable tickets the morning before the game. 

Similarly, Brad Silberman, an expat living in Los Angeles, explained that he had planned to watch the game at a bar with family and friends. This was partly because if he had wanted to take his family of four to watch the match, it would have cost more than $4 000 (R65 600). But the evening before the game, he checked the price of tickets and they had dropped enough to make going possible. 

“It genuinely felt like I was meant to be there. I already had South African friends meeting at 08:00 to paint our faces and arms with the South African flag, dress in our Bafana gear, and enjoy the build-up together,” he said. 

“From the moment we met that morning, the atmosphere was incredible. There’s something special about being surrounded by fellow South Africans when you’re living overseas. Strangers instantly become friends. We were singing, laughing, taking photos, and proudly wearing our green and gold. It didn’t matter where we came from, our race, religion, or background; for those few hours, we were simply South Africans united behind one team. That feeling carried right through into the stadium, where the energy was absolutely electric,” he said. 

Daniel Seeff, who has lived in the United States since he was 19, explained that many South Korean fans in Los Angeles had expected their team to face Canada in the round of 32. However, after South Africa defeated South Korea, those supporters suddenly found themselves with tickets they no longer needed. “When South Africa beat them, they were all trying to get rid of their tickets for very little,” Seeff said. 

“I was actually able to get my tickets directly from fifa.com. A whole section of tickets were released three days before the game.” 

He described the game as one of the highlights of his life. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, and everyone was so excited and so appreciative to be there. 

“Moments like this remind you where you come from,” said Silberman. “Hearing the South African accents, singing the songs, seeing all the flags and jerseys, it instantly takes you back home. I’ve always been patriotic, and being surrounded by so many proud South Africans made me realise how much I miss that sense of community. It’s in my blood.” 

Saul Hirschhorn, an expat living in California, felt the same way. 

“Living overseas, you don’t often get to experience that feeling of being surrounded by thousands of fellow South Africans. Hearing everyone sing the national anthem together and proudly wearing the South African colours reminded me of home,” he said. “The South African fans were incredibly positive throughout the game. There was a genuine feeling that everyone believed the team could pull off something special.” 

“It was unbelievable to be in the environment of a World Cup game where your birth country’s team is playing for the very first time in a knockout round. It was incredible. It was just beyond. I don’t think the smile left my face until the very last second of the game. It was electric,” Sachs said. 

Anthony Leib, who has lived in San Diego for 30 years, explained that, though the Canadian fans far outnumbered the South African supporters, there was still an undeniable energy. 

“They had a good crowd there. We did the fan walk, there was a lot of singing, and it was just very colourful. It was great. The atmosphere was amazing even though the Canadians definitely outnumbered us, because obviously, they come from Vancouver. But it’s funny because a lot of Mexican supporters in the crowd were singing Mexican songs and a lot of them were very much behind South Africa, which was great,” he said. 

Yoni Rosenthal, who moved to New York in 2025, explained that he had been lucky to get tickets to the game through a family member, as he knew he wanted to go and support his home country in this historic game. “Walking to the stadium and hearing Shosholoza and the anthem was really emotional. Hearing about how the mood was back in South Africa was also amazing. Sport truly does uplift our country like nothing else can. I felt so proud and grateful to be wearing my South Africa shirt and to be in the moment,” he said.