CAPE TOWN : South Africa international midfielder Jayden Adams, who featured in all three of the country’s group-stage matches at the 2026 World Cup, has died at the age of 25, the sports ministry said on Saturday.
No cause of death was provided.
Adams started South Africa’s Group A matches against Mexico and the Czech Republic before coming off the bench in the 1-0 victory over South Korea that secured the team’s first-ever place in the World Cup knockout stages. South Africa were eliminated by Canada in the last 16.
The midfielder’s grandmother died a day before South Africa’s match against the Czech Republic, and he was substituted at halftime during the game.
Adams played for Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns, helping the club win the African Champions League title in the 2025-26 season.
“South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer,” the South African Football Players’ Union said in a statement.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie also paid tribute.
“Our nation mourns alongside his family, his teammates and the millions of supporters who watched him grow from a promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international,” McKenzie said in a statement.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered his condolences in a post on Instagram.
“My thoughts and condolences, as well as those of everyone at FIFA and the global football community, are with his family, friends and teammates,” he said.
Adams came through the youth academy at Stellenbosch FC before joining Mamelodi Sundowns in January 2025.
He made his senior international debut against Mozambique in 2022 and earned 13 caps for South Africa, scoring twice, with both goals coming in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
