South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies at 25

​South Africa international midfielder Jayden Adams, who featured in all three of his side’s group stage games at the 2026 World Cup, has died, the country’s sports ministry ⁠said on Saturday.

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Adams, 25, started the Group A fixtures against Mexico and the Czech Republic, and came off the bench in the 1-0 win over South Korea that earned ⁠the side a first-ever place in the knockout rounds, where they were beaten by Canada.

The player’s grandmother died a day before South Africa ⁠played the Czechs, and he was replaced at halftime during ​the ⁠fixture.

He played for the Pretoria-based ‌Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa, helping them to the African Champions League title in the 2025/26 season.

“South African football has ‌lost a gifted player, a proud servant ‌of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer,” the South African Football Players’ Union, an official body for players ⁠in the country, said in a statement.

South Africa’s minister of sport Gayton McKenzie also expressed his condolences.

“Our nation mourns alongside his family, his teammates and the millions of supporters who watched him grow from a promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international,” McKenzie said in a statement.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino ‌offered his condolences via Instagram, saying his “thoughts and condolences, ​as well as those of everyone at FIFA ‌and the global football community, ⁠are with his family, friends and teammates”.

Adams came through ⁠the youth development structures at Stellenbosch FC and joined Sundowns in January 2025.

He ‌made his international ​debut against Mozambique in 2022 and ‌won 13 caps, scoring two ​goals, both in qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.