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South Africa Midfielder Jayden Adams Dies, Police Open Inquest

7/11/2026

Summary

Jayden Adams Dies

South Africa midfielder Jayden Adams was declared dead at 25 on July 11, 2026.
He started two group games and subbed in the 1-0 win over South Korea.
Police opened an inquest after a 25-year-old body was found in Schotschekloof, Cape Town.
Minister Gayton McKenzie said Adams played the Czechia match hours after his grandmother died on June 17.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and clubs Sundowns and Stellenbosch expressed condolences.

Summary

Jayden Adams Dies

Jayden Adams helped Mamelodi Sundowns capture the 2025/26 African Champions League title before his death.
He progressed through Stellenbosch FC’s youth academy and signed with Sundowns in January 2025.
He earned 13 caps for South Africa, scoring two goals in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers that secured the team’s first-ever group-stage top-place finish.
Both Mamelodi Sundowns and the South African Football Association declined to comment on his passing, Reuters reported.

History

Historical Context

On 27 April 1993 a Zambian Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo crashed off Libreville, Gabon, killing all 30 aboard, including most of the national football team and FAZ president Michael Mwape. A week of mourning and a state burial at Heroes’ Acre preceded Kalusha Bwalya’s rebuilt squad, which reached the 1994 African Cup final and inspired Zambia’s 2012 Africa Cup triumph near the crash site.

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Jayden Adams Dies

South Africa midfielder Jayden Adams was declared dead at 25 on July 11, 2026.
He started two group games and subbed in the 1-0 win over South Korea.
Police opened an inquest after a 25-year-old body was found in Schotschekloof, Cape Town.
Minister Gayton McKenzie said Adams played the Czechia match hours after his grandmother died on June 17.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and clubs Sundowns and Stellenbosch expressed condolences.

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