South Africa World Cup player Jayden Adams dies at 25 after tournament
July 13, 2026 at 01:18 PM · Updated 96d ago
Coverage
4 reports · 2 in Arabic, 2 in English · over 56 hours
Police in South Africa open probe into post-World Cup death of Jayden Adams
(opens the publisher’s site)بعد أيام من مشاركته بالمونديال.. وفاة نجم منتخب جنوب إفريقيا
(opens the publisher’s site)
جايدن آدامز: وفاة لاعب خط وسط منتخب جنوب أفريقيا بعد أيام من مشاركته في كأس العالم - BBC News عربي
(opens the publisher’s site)
Jayden Adams: South Africa World Cup player dies aged 25
(opens the publisher’s site)Midfielder Jayden Adams has died at age 25, weeks after playing for South Africa in the 2026 World Cup.
- Adams featured in all three of South Africa's group matches at the World Cup, where the team reached the round of 32 before losing to Canada.
- Police in South Africa said they opened an investigation after the body of a 25-year-old man was found at a house in Cape Town on Saturday morning.
- South Africa's minister of sport Gayton McKenzie said the cause of Adams' death has not yet been confirmed and appealed for privacy.
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered condolences, saying Adams will be sorely missed.
Latest developments
Subsequently, the South African Football Players' Union expressed shock and sorrow over Adams's death, highlighting that he had recently represented his nation with pride at the World Cup. Adams, who earned nine senior caps for South Africa, featured in all three group-stage matches against Mexico, the Czech Republic, and South Korea. It also emerged that he played against the Czech Republic just one day after his grandmother's death.