WATCH | Bafana win friends, sign autographs and train in front of big crowd

Bafana Bafana are winning friends in Mexico ahead of the Fifa World Cup kickoff.

Videos shared on social media show members of the South African squad lining up to sign autographs and have pictures taken with a lone young Mexican boy who visited the team hotel.

Coach Hugo Broos gave the young boy a jersey, which the players signed.

Other videos show the team’s second open training session, this time at the 26,000-seat Estadio Hidalgo, nicknamed “El Huracán” (The Hurricane), where a few hundred or perhaps even more than 1,000 local football supporters arrived to watch the session.

The stadium is the home ground of topflight Liga MX side Club de Fútbol Pachuca.

The South Africans are earning a reputation for approachability and friendliness in Mexico.

Bafana’s first training session on Wednesday was held on the fields of their training base at based at Universidad del Futbol y Ciencias del Deporte in Pachuca, after their arrival in Mexico City in the early hours of the morning local time.

The South Africans meet co-hosts Mexico at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in the opening game on June 11 (9pm SA time), a rematch of the first fixture when South Africa hosted the 2010 edition.

Bafana’s remaining two Group A games are against Czechia (Czech Republic) in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 18 (6pm SA time), and South Korea in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 24 (3am on June 25 SA time).

Bafana’s departure from Johannesburg was delayed by a day from Sunday to Monday over the controversial non-arrival of their US visas by the weekend due to an alleged South African Football Association bungle.

Broos wanted to leave at least 10 days before the opening match because he said it takes that length of time to adjust to high altitude.

Mexico City is at 2,240m above sea level, 500m above high-altitude Johannesburg (1,750m).

Bafana’s training base in Pachuca is at 2,430m.

Fifa’s first 48-team World Cup is being co-hosted by the US and Canada.

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