--- title: Rooting for the World Cup Home Team In Soweto | TIME description: In Orlando East, an area of the Soweto section of Johannesburg soccer fans take in their country's big event in a shabeen, or local pub canonical: https://time.com/video/gTUVzxrw/ og:title: Rooting for the World Cup Home Team In Soweto og:description: In Orlando East, an area of the Soweto section of Johannesburg soccer fans take in their country's big event in a shabeen, or local pub og:url: https://time.com/video/gTUVzxrw/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/gTUVzxrw/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rooting for the World Cup Home Team In Soweto twitter:description: In Orlando East, an area of the Soweto section of Johannesburg soccer fans take in their country's big event in a shabeen, or local pub twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/gTUVzxrw/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Rooting for the World Cup Home Team In Soweto > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Rooting for the World Cup Home Team In Soweto [Watch (HLS stream): Rooting for the World Cup Home Team In Soweto](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gTUVzxrw.m3u8) (4:19)  _Published 2010-06-27. In Orlando East, an area of the Soweto section of Johannesburg soccer fans take in their country's big event in a shabeen, or local pub_ --- Jul 27, 2023 2:22 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [England's Women's Team Optimistic Ahead of World Cup Opener](/video/CZYxQbN1/) ### England's Women's Team Optimistic Ahead of World Cup Opener [100 Photographs: Soweto Uprising](/video/p46CjkS2/) ### 100 Photographs: Soweto Uprising [Team USA's World Cup Qualifying Goals](/video/SBR5SrPd/) ### Team USA's World Cup Qualifying Goals --- ## Transcript >> At 3 pm on a weekday afternoon in Orlando East, one of the oldest townships in Johannesburg historic Soweto neighborhood, nobody seems to be working. That's because Bafana Bafana, South Africa's team will take the field for their 3rd World Cup game which kicks off in an hour. Local couple Fred and Ella Mohini are having a tough time making it down the street because everyone seems to want to say hi and share their excitement. Fred and Ella are heading to a special pregame spot called the shabin. The name of the place is [ unk ]. It's a local word that literally means unwinding. >> The shabin is a place where people enjoy themselves. They come and drink, but they don't drink free. They buy. Then the owner of the shabin plays on a music, they dance. If there's TV or any game playing they watch TV, they dance, they joke, they do everything but they don't fight. >> On this day, the shabins around Soweto had even more energy than normal. Fans are hoping their enthusiasm will boost their team to a critical victory and allow them to go to the next round of the World Cup for the first time in history. Jabu Mkubu imagines he's in the locker room with the team and he gives some tactical advice to Bafana Bafana. >> We are going all out, all into the belly of death. Rode the 600, no defense. We must attack. The name of the game is attack, no defending. No, no, no, no, no. No defending. Well, what for. >> Closer to game time, the crowd heads around the corner to the more conventional Mantantis bar. 33- year- old law student S'celo Alcock has come back to the neighborhood he grew up in to celebrate with friends and family. He says the World Cup has meant a lot to poor areas like Orlando East. >> But I think more than anything it's sentimental. I think it's more that the intangible, the feeling that I was part of history. I was there when this great country hosted the World Cup. I think that's what really left behind. I mean there's a saying we like to use in South Africa where were you, you know. I think it would be honorable is where were you in South Africa for example and hopefully make friends you know to advance to the next stage of the World Cup, you know. >> The game starts and locals pack Mantantis to watch their side take on the fringe. They need at least 3 goals to stay alive. The 50 would- be coaches yelled out instructions and inspirational words, but it's a nervous time until the South African squad breaks through with a powerful header off a corner. And a short while later Bafana Bafana strike again. And just as people are settling down, the local boys score a third. Though after a moment of confusion, the goal is disallowed due to offsides. As the game slows into its last moments, the Mantantis crowd knows despite the definite win against one of the world's best football teams, their Cup is over. People seem exhausted from the sheer power of their emotions during the game, emotions that have decidedly turned to disappointment. South Africa will be the first ever host country not to advance past the first round. One local who goes by Jackie heads outside the bar to take stock of this fact. >> No, wait. I'm all right but I'm sad to go as I'm hosting the game means I don't break any the past time, you know, but it's okay. It's all in the game. You win or lose. >> Bafana Bafana's exit from the World Cup is only a few minutes old, but at an instant it seems forgotten. Somebody in Mantantis churns up a good soul song and for now that seems to be just what these Sowetos super fans need. 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