Can SA benefit from Fifa's switch rule?

Players can now access first-world youth football infrastructure

- Makgwathane Mothapo

Are African countries piggybacking on Europe's youth football infrastructure on the back of Fifa's relaxed “One-Time Switch” rule, or is the current wave of nationalist ideology and consciousness in global politics responsible for a shadow African football revolution?

The latest country to go full throttle on this is the Democratic Republic of Congo at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco. And the results are starting to show, more so in the past few years, even though DR Congo, semifinalists at the 2023 Afcon, and a dark horse in Morocco '25 faced a heartbreaking 119th minute Round of 16 exit.

DR Congo is not punching above her weight. They have two Afcon honours to their name, in 1968 and 1974. And that Class of '74 also gave them their only appearance at a Fifa World Cup.

Notwithstanding the setback in Morocco, the DR Congo has the final 2026 Fifa World Cup intercontinental qualification in April, in what is their best opportunity to head to their second Fifa showpiece.

This resurgence is thanks largely to embracing, albeit on steroids, what the powerful regions of African football, namely West and North Africa, have been doing for some time.