When South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Ronwen Williams was a wide-eyed teenage goalkeeper in the embryonic stages of his professional football career. Sixteen years have passed since that event, but it still evokes strong emotions as he relives the mood in the country during the global finals.
“I just remember the atmosphere, the noise,” he told FIFA. “You could feel it the air wherever you every time you were outside, it was like, ‘There’s a match happening today.’ I think people saw what we’re about as a country: a fun-loving country, the heritage, the culture, the vuvuzelas, all the energy and colour. It was amazing.”
While Williams holds fond memories from the tournament, it was period in his life tinged with tragedy. Just two months prior to the World Cup, the then 18-year-old suffered a earth-shattering loss when his brother Marvin was killed in a car accident.
Marvin was a figure of constant encouragement as his younger sibling made his way in the game. He remains a source of inspiration today, and Williams has revealed how he feels his brother “is watching over me every step of the way”.
“I always had a dream of representing my national team,” he explained. “I was lucky or blessed enough to play for South Africa at junior level, but it was my late brother’s dream for me to be at the World Cup. Now that I can do it 16 years later… I’m living the dream that he had for me, so this is a special moment.”
Now aged 34, Williams is set to lead out his country as captain when South Africa face Mexico in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ opening match on 11 June. Williams has won more than 60 international caps, played in several high-stakes Africa Cup of Nations matches and at the FIFA Club World Cup™, but is braced for an experience like no other at Mexico City Stadium.
“It’s giving me goosebumps just thinking about it,” he said. “We’re always in the moment, it’s always about the next game, the next thing to achieve. But when I sit and think that I am going to the World Cup, words can’t describe how I feel. I’ll be leading out the national team in front of thousands [at the stadium] and millions, maybe even billions, on television. I’m so proud.”
The full interview with Ronwen Williams.
FIFA: Firstly, what was your reaction like when you saw the draw and found out you’d be playing in the opening game of World Cup 2026?
Ronwen Williams: I was speechless for a moment. There two games that stand out at the World Cup: the opening game and the final. And Bafana Bafana will be at one of them. It’s amazing just to think about it.
It will be a repeat of the opening game at South Africa 2010, when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored that famous goal. How big a moment was that for the country?
I think it united the country. It got us all up and cheering and happy. I think if there’s one moment that each and every South African was happy about, it was that one. For us to score the opening goal on our home soil at the World Cup… Goosebumps, you know? It’s an amazing achievement for Siphiwe and for the team as well. That’s legacy right there.
South Africa has had some ups and downs since 2010, which was the last time the national team competed at the World Cup. How would you describe the progress that has been made?
We’ve been much better over the last few years. We’re competing now at the highest level on a regular basis – we’ve been to back-to-back AFCONs. We’ve done extremely well, we went on a very good run where we were unbeaten for a long time. So, you can see the difference, you can feel it when we play as well. We just need to be more consistent in featuring at the big, major tournaments.
You are the captain of the team and there seems to be a very strong spirit in the squad. How does it feel to be part of this group?
There’s a genuine brotherhood. There’s a genuine respect for one another. The spirit and the energy is genuine. The love that we have, you can see it during the game, you can see it after the game, in the changing room. Even at meals, you can see the togetherness, and it’s genuine. And I think that has pushed us to where we are, qualifying for the World Cup and back-to-back AFCONs. I sit back many times and am in awe of the respect, the spirit and the energy we have when we’re in camp.
As a football country, South Africa is known for its rhythm and culture. How important is it that the team represents this on the field?
We need to stay true to our identity. That’s what we know – that’s what’s deeply rooted inside of us. That’s what comes from playing on the dusty streets, playing with your friends, kickabouts. But there’s also the professional side. So, we need to blend the two and find the perfect balance. I think the coach [Hugo Broos] has been perfect in that, where we know what to do, when to do it and how to do it.
Finally, when the world watches South Africa, what do you want them to feel about the team?
Energy, colour and just flair. Yes, I know there are lots of countries that are placed with flair and individual brilliance, but I think what we have is special. Like I said, that is deeply rooted inside of us, and we are special in that sense, in that we have our own identity.
Culled from fifa.com
