"These guys can't see. How are they going to play?" Inside South Africa's 7-team Blind Football League

A few years ago, two visually impaired children asked Mlungisi "Coach Jack" Msibi if they could play football. He didn't know how they could. He just knew he wasn't going to say no.

Today, Corinthians Africa runs South Africa's first Blind Football League together with Blind SA. The league has seven teams and more than 90 players, and clubs travel to Johannesburg from as far as Limpopo to play.

How blind football works

Blind football is a five-a-side Paralympic sport. The four outfield players wear eyeshades so that everyone plays on equal terms, whatever their level of sight. The ball has a rattle inside it, so players can hear where it is.

The goalkeeper can see, and stays close to the goal. A sighted guide stands behind the opposition goal and tells attackers where to shoot, and coaches guide players from the side. Each half lasts 20 minutes, with one referee.

In official competition, outfield players are classified B1, meaning they are completely or almost completely blind, while goalkeepers may be sighted or partially sighted. For team-building and exhibition matches, anyone can put on eyeshades and play.

It is fast, loud and skilful. "People told me it was crazy. But when you see a blind player score from the sound of the ball and the voice of a teammate, you understand that the only thing missing was opportunity. We are not doing charity. We are building a sport," says Msibi.

From a club in La Rochelle to a national league

Coach Jack started the programme with the Johannesburg Society for the Blind. In 2022, Corinthians Africa formed its blind football club in La Rochelle, Johannesburg South.

In 2024, Msibi became South Africa's first national blind football coach and took the team to the BRICS International Blind Football Tournament in Russia. On debut, the squad won Coach of the Tournament, Team of the Tournament and Player of the Tournament.

The league itself started in 2025. Match days now run at venues across Johannesburg. In 2026, the Johannesburg Blind Football Association Super League has brought teams together at venues including Paterson Park in Norwood on 29 August, and the Bertha Solomon Recreation Centre in Jeppestown on 10 October. On that October match day, Corinthians beat TUKS 5–0 and Corinthians Titans beat Protea Tigers 3–0.

The league is open to everyone who is visually impaired, and three women play consistently in it. Building teams for women and girls is one of the league's next goals.

Training the coaches

A league needs more than players. It needs coaches, referees and people who understand the game.

In July and August 2026, Corinthians Africa and CATHSSETA hosted South Africa's first accredited blind football coaching workshop, with Blind SA, the Johannesburg Blind Football Association and AR Consulting. Theory sessions ran on 25 July and the practical session on 1 August, and delegates came from across South Africa.

The course carries an NQF Level 5 coaching qualification. It introduced a 110-page Braille edition of the IBSA Blind Football Coaching Manual, the first in South Africa, so blind coaches can study the same material as everyone else. The workshop also trained Jonas Ndlovu as the country's first blind facilitator.

A legend in a blindfold

In September 2026, Laureus World Sports Academy chairman and former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick visited Corinthians Africa in La Rochelle with Laureus Sport for Good. Along with former All Black Dane Coles and Laureus ambassadors, he put on a blindfold and played blind football with our players.

Corinthians Africa is a Laureus Sport for Good Incubation Hub partner, and the visit gave a rugby legend a first-hand taste of how much skill this sport demands.

More than football

Like everything at Corinthians Africa, the league is built on Ubabalo, our whole-life coaching approach. Sponsors help with transport, nutrition packs and equipment, and the league connects visually impaired people with each other, with mentors and with opportunities beyond the pitch.

The league also stands for something bigger. In October 2026, our blind football players stood with the Johannesburg Blind Football Association against gender-based violence and femicide, ahead of the 16 Days of Activism.

What comes next

The goal is a national game:

• provincial league structures, so blind football is played in every province

• teams for women and girls

• referee and coach training

• a wheelchair-accessible multipurpose court in Johannesburg South

"We want blind football in every province and a South African team that competes on the world stage, all the way to the Paralympics. We're calling on corporate partners to help us get there," says Msibi.

How you can help

• Come and watch a match day and see the sport for yourself.

• Sponsor kit, balls with rattles, eyeshades or transport for a team.

• Partner with us on the provincial league, the women's and girls' teams or the multipurpose court.

Corinthians Africa NPC is a registered non-profit (NPO 264-289 NPO) and Public Benefit Organisation (PBO 930073111) with Section 18A status. Training and education for people with severe physical disabilities is one of our approved Section 18A activities.

WhatsApp us on +27 61 230 1352, email info@corinthians.africa or visit our Donate / Fund us page.

Media enquiries: 068 274 3159 or info@corinthians.africa.