The South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced the official return of the 1996 Heritage Kit from Bafana Bafana’s most celebrated era, reinterpreted as an official premium knitted jersey for 2026.
As the sole custodian and owner of the intellectual property, SAFA has approved the production and retail of this historic release under the official licensed programme by the premium leisurewear brand, Old School. The SAFA Heritage Kit connects the historic moment Bafana Bafana are stepping into with the era that first made the world take notice.
The 1996 jersey is inseparable from the greatest chapter in South African football. It was worn during the build-up to the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations – won on home soil. More than the trophies and the results, what the country remembers is the spirit of that era: a team that played with joy, a nation that believed together, and a green-and-gold shirt that became the symbol of both.
That jersey has never really left. It lives in the photographs, the highlight reels, and the conversations whenever South Africans talk about the football that made them fall in love with Bafana Bafana. Now, 30 years later, as this generation prepares to carry the green and gold onto the world stage again, SAFA is officially bringing it back.
The 1996 Heritage Kit is not a replica. SAFA has authorized the reinterpretation of the classic jersey design as an official premium knitted soccer jersey – true to the look and feeling of the era, built to a standard the legacy deserves. The result is something supporters can wear with the same pride as the players who first pulled on those colours thirty years ago.
Key details:
• Official SAFA-licensed product, produced by Old School
• Premium knitted construction – a contemporary reinterpretation of the original 1996 Away and Third designs
• Available in XS-3XL
• Price: From R1999
• On sale from 4 June 2026 through official Bafana Bafana and SAFA channels and at Old School retail stores and online platform
SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao: “SAFA has revived its official licensing programme to enable production of Bafana Bafana supporter gear by various manufacturers at varied price points. As Bafana head to the World Cup, we wanted to give supporters something that connects this moment to where it all started. The 1996 Heritage Kit represents a chapter of South African football that means everything to this country. Bringing it back felt like the right way to honour that history and celebrate what lies ahead. We urge the public to look out for unauthorised products by checking if it has the SAFA marks and an official license tags to ensure that they buy products that support football.”
Old School CEO Daneel Steinmann: “There is nothing in this country quite like a national football match. It does not matter where you are from or what language you speak – when Bafana walk out in green and gold, we are one people. That is the feeling Old School was built to carry. When you put on the iconic heritage jersey, you’re wearing something unmistakably South African, and the fact that Old School gets to champion this new era for South African football is incredibly special.”
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