2026 World Cup: Ronwen Williams draws inspiration from her brother's memory for the game against Mexico

Football often brings exciting coincidences. For South Africa and their captain Ronwen Williams, the opening game of the 2026 World Cup against co-hosts Mexico will be a special occasion, recalling the clash that kicked off the African-hosted 2010 World Cup. "That's the beauty of sport, of football," Williams said. "I remember 2010. The atmosphere for that opening game [a 1-1 draw] was electric. Everyone was supporting the country."

For the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper, the occasion in Mexico City will be particularly emotional. His older brother, Marvin, died in a car accident just two months before the start of the 2010 World Cup. At the time, Ronwen was 18 and considered giving up football. Not doing so proved to be the correct decision. “He had so many hopes for me,” Williams said. "Knowing that I will lead my team in the opening game is indescribable. It gives me goosebumps. Sometimes I find myself thinking about it at night. I always say that the two most important games in a World Cup are the opening and the final, and Bafana Bafana will be part of one of them. We know the pressure will be enormous, they will not make it easy for us. They will have the whole country behind them."

Although Williams misses his brother's influence, he has not lacked family support. "I can remember when coach Hugo Broos announced that I would be captain, the family got together," he recalled. "I still have all those photos and videos, and just seeing what it meant to them. I'm sure that joy and pride has probably doubled, if not tripled, now that I'm going to a World Cup."

For the past five years, Williams has had a new father figure in Broos, the Belgian coach who led Cameroon to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title in 2017. Appointed to lead South Africa in 2021, with Bafana Bafana in a difficult patch, the Belgian immediately made Williams his captain and re-energized the team, leading them to a third-place finish at the 2023 Afcon and ensuring they finished top of their qualifying group. for the World Cup - taking part in the tournament for the fourth time.

Williams goes so far as to claim that Broos "unified" the country, bringing "belief and love" back to the team and to South Africa itself. "Two, three years ago, we were crying for the fans to come out and support us. And he mentioned that that goes hand in hand with performance, with results," added the 34-year-old. "When we started getting results, that's when the belief came back. Now people can't wait to see Bafana Bafana play. Buying our shirts, sending messages of support. He was incredible, exceptional."


South Africa finished ahead of Nigeria in their qualifying group, winning five of their 10 games. But they were eliminated at the last Afcon in the last 16, and after a 2-1 home defeat to Panama in March, Williams is not getting carried away by the excitement as he prepares to face Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea in Group A. "I think we need to be realistic about our chances. The most important thing is to get out of the group," Williams said. "The mindset we need to have is: Can we compete? Can we perform? Can we perform?"

While South Africa picked up four points in theirgroup in 2002 and 2010, they have never reached the second round of a World Cup, meaning a place among the 32 seeds in the expanded tournament across Canada, Mexico and the USA would represent progress. Williams "loves" captaining his team, describing his style as one that brings "stability". "You're the glue," he explained. "It's always been something I've done. Even when I started in my local league when I was young. I believe I was made for this. I value captaincy, the responsibility that comes with it."

He dismisses those who subscribe to the football cliché that goalkeepers have difficulty being great captains because they often find themselves removed from the battle on the pitch. "Nowadays, the referee always asks the captain to designate an outfield player to make things easier so we don't waste time [with] me running from goal."

If Bafana Bafana manage to reach the knockout stages, Williams could find himself very much in the thick of the action, taking on another role in which he shines: that of penalty saver. His excellent record includes the remarkable Afcon 2023 quarter-final, where he saved four of five penalties in the shootout against Cape Verde. He also saved two more penalties in the third-place playoff against the Democratic Republic of Congo, with his performances being rewarded with the 2024 African Goalkeeper of the Year award and a Yashin Award nomination at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. "I like it. There's no pressure on the goalie," Williams said. "You analyze, you observe. When it comes to penalty shootouts, I try to catch a lot of trends. Sometimes that comes with just the feeling you get on the field."

Williams says penalties present "a moment to shine" and points to the influence of Emiliano Martinez, the Aston Villa goalkeeper, whose cleverness and decisive save in a penalty shootout helped Argentina overcome France in the 2022 World Cup final. While he describes Martinez as the "hero" in that game, others were critical of the Argentine's behavior. But Williams says it's true that goalkeepers are different from other football players. "You have to be," he explained. "Diving at someone's feet, defending a ball that comes at high speed, is not normal. You have to be a little crazy. Most goalkeepers are the jokers of the team."

When Williams takes his team onto the field in front of 73,000 fans at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca, he will need to call on all his experience if he is to guide South Africa to a shock World Cup opening victory.