13 October 2002: Delron Buckley celebrates his goal with the Bafana Bafana fans at the Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein (known today as the Toyota Stadium), during a 2004 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi.
When Bafana Bafana step onto the Free State Stadium turf on Tuesday at 18:00 for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe, it will be the first time they have played a home match at the arena in 14 years.
A total of 39 415 screaming fans attended Bafana’s final FIFA World Cup Group A clash on 22 June 2010 when they took on the mighty France and claimed a historic victory over the Europeans.
That marked the eighth Bafana match held in the Free State, all at the iconic stadium known today as Toyota Stadium (formerly Vodacom Stadium) ever since the men’s senior national team was readmitted back onto the international football scene in 1992.
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Tashreeq Vardien
www.news24.com
