South Africa became the first nation on the continent to host the World Cup in 2010, with Pan-African unity in plentiful supply as Ghana reached the quarter-finals.
Sixteen years on the same cannot be said as many fans across the continent were supporting Mexico on Thursday rather than Bafana Bafana.
It is partly in response to anti-migrant protests and violence in South Africa, which has prompted several other African countries to repatriate some of their citizens.
South African officials have condemned the violence and insisted their country is not xenophobic.
But many on the continent were happy to see South Africa defeated, with Elisha Kamau organising a ‘hate-watch’ party in Nairobi.
“Close to 200 people showed up and almost all of them were supporting Mexico,” he told Newsday on the BBC World Service.
“In Kenya, generally speaking, people support Senegal and Cameroon and Central African states, and less South Africa and Morocco.
“The second reason I think is just the timing of the xenophobic attacks. It depends who is playing South Africa, but I think most people would support the other team.”
Daniel Kaniki, a Congolese fan who watched the game at a fan park in the US city of Atlanta, told BBC Sport Africa: “Africa is like one country and if one is chasing others, we are not a family any more. That’s why I’m supporting Mexico.”
Though not everyone agreed.
Ghanaian Vanlare Quist, also at the fan park, said he was rooting for South Africa, adding that he was “a proud African”.
He blamed the anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa on a few individuals.
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