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Who has played the most matches at the World Cup finals for Bafana Bafana?

Bafana will be appearing at their fourth World Cup, having qualified in 1998 and 2002, before hosting the 2010 edition.

They have played nine matches in total, going out in the group stages on each occasion, with 2010 making them the first host nation ever to do so.

A total of 46 different players have represented the country at the World Cup, but four stand out with six appearances each, the most of any players.

Striker Benni McCarthy, defender Lucas Radebe and midfielder Quinton Fortune all appeared in both 1998 and 2002, playing every fixture for the team at those tournaments.

Defender Aaron Mokoena appeared in all three games in 2002 and again in 2010, by which time he was captain of the side. He holds the record for the most caps (107) and appearances as skipper (67) in Bafana’s history.

The next two on the list are Macbeth Sibaya (2002 and 2010) and Pierre Issa (1998 and 2002), with four appearances each.

No goalkeeper has made more than three appearances, with Hans Vonk preferred in 1998 and Andre Arendse in 2002. Itumeleng Khune played Bafana’s first two games in 2010 before a red card against Uruguay meant Moeneeb Josephs was in goal for the win over France.

Other notable players are Delron Buckley and George Koumantarakis, who won three caps each, all as substitutes. No one has made more substitute appearances than they have.

There were 99 starts across the nine games and 23 substitute appearances

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