South Africa’s national football squad is finally set to leave for the FIFA World Cup on Monday after a delay caused by unresolved travel visa complications, the country’s football federation has confirmed.

The team had initially planned to fly out on Sunday for the United States before continuing on to Mexico for the tournament.

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie took to social media to label the visa 'fiasco' as an 'embarrassing' administrative mistake by team officials and called for a detailed report from the South African Football Association (SAFA).

In a statement issued on Monday, SAFA said that all players had now secured their visas. However, four key staff members — including an assistant coach, the team doctor, the head of security, and an analyst — were still waiting for their documents to be processed.

McKenzie had earlier described the situation as 'embarrassing', reflecting his frustration over the administrative lapse.

According to SAFA, they were hopeful that the remaining travel paperwork would be completed soon enough for the four staff members to board the charter flight from Johannesburg later in the day.

The association convened an emergency meeting on Sunday night and issued an apology for the disruption. It also acknowledged assistance from the South African Foreign Ministry and the US Consulate in Johannesburg in resolving the visa issue.

This latest administrative blunder follows earlier criticism of the team’s management during World Cup qualifying, when midfielder Teboho Mokoena was fielded against Lesotho despite being under suspension.

Although South Africa had that victory revoked, they ultimately qualified for the tournament by finishing at the top of their group.

This year marks South Africa’s first World Cup appearance since hosting the competition in 2010. They are set to open their campaign against co-hosts Mexico on 11 June in Mexico City, followed by matches against the Czech Republic in Atlanta and South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico, as part of Group A.

Their clash with Mexico will be a reprise of the 2010 World Cup opener, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

In that edition, South Africa lost their second match 3-0 to Uruguay but pulled off a stunning 2-1 win over France in their final group fixture. Despite the spirited finish, they fell short of progressing to the knockout round, ending third behind Uruguay and Mexico.

With the squad now cleared for travel, South Africa will hope for a stronger showing this time as they embark on their World Cup journey.