Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder Jayden Adams has died at the age of 25, just weeks after playing at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Adams started in all three of South Africa’s group-stage matches as Bafana Bafana reached the knockout rounds for the first time in the nation’s history, before falling to co-hosts Canada in the round of 32.
Police in Cape Town confirmed they have opened an investigation after a 25-year-old man’s body was found at a house in Schotschekloof on Saturday morning. The cause of death has not been officially confirmed.
South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, described the news as a “profound shock,” and appealed to the public and media to avoid speculation while Adams’s family and Mamelodi Sundowns are given space to grieve.
The South African Football Players Union also paid tribute, calling Adams’s death “an immeasurable loss” to his family, teammates and the football fraternity.
Adams began his senior career at Stellenbosch FC before joining Mamelodi Sundowns in January 2025, where he won league and CAF Champions League titles. He earned his Bafana Bafana debut in 2022 and was part of the squad that reached the 2024 AFCON semi-finals.
