Whether it's soccer or rugby, you'll struggle to find more loyal supporters than South Africans. On Thursday, 11 June, Bafana Bafana kicked off the season opener for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, and the Springboks kickstarted the rugby season last Saturday with a win against the Barbarians. During both games, the South African teams were loudly and proudly backed by fans wearing their green and gold from sport stadiums and sport bars alike.
Ahead of Bafana Bafana's return to the FIFA World Cup after a 16-year absence, Castle Lager launched its 'The Fans That Stood the Test of Time' campaign, celebrating the supporters who remained loyal through the years of rebuilding.
This campaign entails fans submitting videos explaining why they deserve to be named South Africa's ultimate Bafana Bafana superfan. The winner will go on to attend fan events and watch parties throughout the remainder of the tournament, becoming the face of the campaign.
On the other side of the sport coin, rugby campaigning has been running the same play. Through Betway's '23 Behind the 23' initiative, the sponsor gave up valuable branding space on the back of the Springboks' shorts, and replaced it with the names of 23 supporters randomly selected from across the country.
Both campaigns acknowledge the people who give the sport the publicity it has — their fans — and pay them tribute through honouring them in their respective tournaments and test matches. The supporters are seen as more than spectators, since the campaigns place them at the center of their story.
Sport does something extraordinary: it brings people together and bands them under one banner. By focusing on that sense of community rather than simply capitalising on a team's success through random branding plastered everywhere, these campaigns demonstrate how brands can build meaningful engagement while reinforcing their credibility and reputation.
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*Image courtesy of Facebook, Canva and Facebook
**Information sourced from Super Sport and IOL