Cape Town
\nSouth Africa international midfielder Jayden Adams, who featured in all three of his side\u2019s \u200bgroup stage games at the 2026 World Cup, has died, the \u200ccountry\u2019s sports ministry said on Saturday. No cause of death was given.
\nAdams, 25, started the Group A fixtures against Mexico and the Czech Republic, and came off the \u200bbench in the 1-0 win over South Korea that earned \u200bthe side a first-ever place in the knockout rounds, where they were beaten by Canada.
\nThe player\u2019s grandmother died a day \u200bbefore South Africa played the Czechs, and he was replaced at halftime \u200bduring the fixture.
\nHe played for the Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa, helping them to the African Champions League title in the 2025\/26 season.
\n\u201cSouth African football has lost \u200ba gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a \u200byoung life that still had so much to offer,\u201d the South African Football Players\u2019 \u200cUnion, an official body for players in the country, said in a statement.
\nSouth Africa\u2019s minister of sport Gayton McKenzie also expressed his condolences.
\n\u201cOur nation mourns alongside his family, his teammates and the millions of supporters who watched \u200bhim grow from \u200ba promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international,\u201d McKenzie said in a statement.
\nFIFA President Gianni Infantino offered his condolences \u200bvia Instagram, saying his \u201cthoughts and condolences, as well as \u200bthose of everyone at FIFA and the global football community, are with his family, friends and teammates\u201d.
\nAdams came through the youth development structures at Stellenbosch FC and \u200bjoined Sundowns in January 2025.
\nHe made his international \u200bdebut against Mozambique in 2022 and won 13 caps, scoring two goals, both in qualifiers \u200bfor the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cape Town South Africa international midfielder Jayden Adams, who featured in all three of his side\u2019s \u200bgroup stage games at the 2026 World Cup, has died, the \u200ccountry\u2019s sports ministry said on Saturday. No cause of death was given. Adams, 25, started the Group A fixtures against Mexico and the Czech Republic, and came off […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-555949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n