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South Africa midfielder, Jayden Adams has died at the age of 25, less than two weeks after representing Bafana Bafana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
South African police said they found a 25-year-old man inside a house in Cape Town on Saturday morning.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, announced Adams’ death in a statement.
The statement read, “It is with profound shock and a heavy heart that I have learnt of the passing of Jayden Adams.
“South African football has lost one of its brightest young talents, and our nation mourns alongside his family, his team-mates and the millions of supporters who watched him grow from a promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international.”
The cause of death is not yet known.
The South African Football Players Union also expressed grief over the player’s demise.
Adams, who played for Mamelodi Sundowns, had “only recently represented South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, carrying the hopes of the nation with pride, courage, and distinction,” SAFPU said in a statement.
The union added that his passing is an immeasurable loss to his family, teammates, clubs, the football fraternity and country at large.
Adams started two of South Africa’s three Group Stage games at the World Cup.
He featured against Mexico and the Czech Republic, and came off the bench in the 1-0 win over South Korea that earned Bafana Bafana a first-ever place in the knockout rounds.
South Africa were later eliminated by Canada in the Round of 32.
Adams played with a heavy heart during the tournament after his grandmother, Marianna, died a day before South Africa faced the Czech Republic.
He was replaced at halftime in that fixture.
The midfielder came through the youth ranks at Stellenbosch FC, where he made 109 appearances and scored seven goals over six seasons.
He joined Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns in January 2025 and helped them win the African Champions League in the 2025/26 season.
Adams earned 13 caps for South Africa and scored two goals, both in qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
He was also part of the Bafana Bafana squad that finished third at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, the country’s best finish in 24 years.
