Lucky soccer fan won a trip of a lifetime

For most football fans, attending a Fifa World Cup is a dream. For 18-year-old former King David High School pupil Adam Schlosberg that dream became a reality when he was named one of the winners of Sport Minister Gayton McKenzie’s Mzansi to the World Cup Lucky Fan Competition. This earned him an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico to watch Bafana Bafana compete on football’s biggest stage. 

“The funny thing is that I had completely forgotten that I had entered the competition. After my name was announced by the minister, I only found out three days later when I received a phone call telling me that I had won. My first reaction was, ‘Great joke!’ I only started believing it when I saw the video clip of the minister actually calling out our names,” he said. 

The competition attracted thousands of entries from football lovers across South Africa, with winners chosen for their passion, authenticity, and personal stories. Schlosberg was among 16 supporters to receive a fully sponsored World Cup experience, including flights, accommodation, meals, and match tickets to watch South Africa’s opening tournament fixture in Mexico. 

“Seeing a World Cup match in person was a dream come true, even if the result and performance on the field weren’t quite what I had hoped for,” he said. 

After being in Mexico for quite some time and seeing Bafana Bafana progress beyond the group stage for the first time, Schlosberg ensured that he was in Los Angeles to see the game. “I bought my match ticket at 03:00 and went straight to the airport with nothing but a Woolies bag, my passport, power bank, and phone,” he said. 

Schlosberg managed to stand out from the crowd at the opening game with his makarapa hat covered with Castle beer cans. Mexican fans stopped him on the streets, and he went viral on social media. 

The makarapa is one of the most recognisable symbols of South African sports fandom. Originally adapted from the hard hats worn by mineworkers, they are decorated with bright colours, national flags, team logos, and creative designs to show passion for local teams. Fans from different backgrounds wear makarapas to support a common team, particularly the national sides such as Bafana Bafana and the Springboks. The makarapa gained international attention during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, becoming an iconic image of South African fan culture alongside the vuvuzela. 

Schlosberg explained that he wore the makarapa to the game to represent South African culture in the best way he could. 

“It was a bit of a DIY [do-it-yourself] project. The idea came after seeing some of the other Lucky Fan winners with their own makarapas, and I thought it would be a great way to show off our South African spirit and culture,” he said. 

Media commentator Dan Corder said in a video posted to his social media, “Apparently, this young gent is going viral in Mexico for smuggling dop into the game on his hat. Honestly, the spirit of South Africa, we cannot be stopped, and we cannot be denied. When it comes to jol, we’re going to jol the way we like, whether you like it or not. This honestly makes me feel so patriotic.” 

Schlosberg also tried to make another makarapa with beer cans, but wasn’t allowed in with it and instead drank the beer outside. 

He said more than 100 people had asked to take photos with the makarapa. “People absolutely loved it, and it became a real talking point wherever we went. 

“Getting so much attention because of the makarapa has been quite surreal. What started as a small idea between friends has ended up having a much bigger impact than I ever expected. It’s been a lot of fun, and it has even made me think that maybe creating football content is something I could see myself doing in the future,” he said. 

Although he didn’t wear his makarapa to the final Bafana Bafana game, Schlosberg explained that the energy there was out of this world. 

“I got to my seat in time for the national anthem and was singing it proudly. The match started, and South Africa had a good game, although we could have pushed more. We are still proud of the players; they’ve made history,” he said. 

Schlosberg said that he had seen tons of South African expats in the stadium, but said that he had been surrounded by South Koreans who had prebooked their tickets, thinking their country would be represented in the game instead. 

He also attended a fan park in Toronto to watch the Bafana Bafana and South Korea game, and while there, he and other South Africans were dancing, singing, and teaching people Shosholoza. 

“After we had won, it was jubilant, and we all partied late into the night,” he said. 

Schlosberg is a lifelong football fan, encouraged by his father, and has been a Tottenham Hotspur supporter since he was six years old. In South African football, he supports Chippa United. 

In addition to watching Bafana Bafana kick off at the Fifa World Cup on 11 June, Schlosberg attended the Legends match in Pachuca, visited the Fifa Museum, explored the Mexican pyramids, and experienced Lucha libre wrestling. 

Schlosberg described the whole experience of being a lucky fan as unreal and something that he will never forget. 

“The whole vibe with the lucky fans was sensational; they taught me all the chants, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The atmosphere in the Azteca was the best sight I’ve ever had. I closed my eyes and just wished I could be here forever,” he said. 

“I’m not a special person, but just an ordinary fan just like everyone else, and Gayton Mackenzie and the sponsors changed the lives of every single lucky fan who got the opportunity to go to Mexico. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience being able to watch the World Cup here for the first time in my life.”