SAFA esports team to play first friendly against India this Saturday

Following the FIFA eNations online qualifiers, the South African Football Association (SAFA) has decided to create an international match programme so that the national team can improve their skills against international competition. The first step in this process is a friendly against the All India Football Federation’s national “efootball” team.

If you are up for watching some FIFA esports action, or you just love supporting a South African team, then you can catch the action live this weekend.

SAFA esports team match details

First up, the SAFA esports team consists of Kaylan Moodley and Julio “Beast” Bianchi. They will be joined by Thabo “Young Savage” Moloi, and Shiaan Rugbeer (the player-coach).

Via a Press Release, the SAFA CEO, Advocate Tebogo Mothanthe, explains: “It is with great excitement to host our first international friendly in this FIFA gaming platform, which gives SAFA an opportunity to cater for youth fans as well as increasing its digital assets with this national team. We hope to grow FIFA esports and create a platform for youth to dream of representing their country in a new format in
football.”

The friendly match against India will see SAFA esports take a home-ground advantage. This is an online match that will feature a live stream hosted by Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Yes, the same place where the grand finals of the BayFive FIFA 21 eCup will take place.

The match starts at 17:00 SAST this Saturday, 22 May 2021. It will be streamed via the SAFA Ediski Twitch channel. Stay up to date with via the SAFA Twitter account.

We wish the SAFA esports team all the best of luck in their friendly match against India.

Header image via Electronic Arts.