South Africa's Ministry of Sports announced on Saturday the death of national team midfielder Jayden Adams at the age of 25, weeks after he played for his country in all of their group stage matches at the 2026 World Cup.

Adams started for South Africa in the Group A matches against Mexico and the Czech Republic, and came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win over South Korea, which secured their first-ever qualification to the knockout stage. Their tournament run ended with a loss to Canada.

The tournament was emotionally challenging for Adams, as his grandmother died one day before the match against the Czech Republic. He was substituted in the first half.

During his club career, Adams played for Mamelodi Sundowns and helped them win the CAF Champions League in the 2025-2026 season.

The South African Football Players Union, the official representative body for players in the country, mourned the late player in a statement: 'South African football has lost a talented player, a dedicated athlete, and a young man whose career was still full of promise.'

South Africa's Minister of Sports, Jayden McKenzie, offered condolences to the player's family, saying: 'The nation shares the grief of the player's family, his teammates, and millions of fans who followed his journey from a promising academy player to an international for the national team.'

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his condolences on Instagram: 'On behalf of myself, everyone at FIFA, and the global football community, I extend my deepest condolences and sympathies to his family, friends, and teammates.'

Adams developed his football skills at the Stellenbosch FC academy before moving to Mamelodi Sundowns in January 2025.

The midfielder made his international debut for South Africa against Mozambique in 2022, earning 13 caps and scoring two goals, both in 2026 World Cup qualifiers.