Pearl Mosoane: from university football to the FIFA World Cup

As South Africa commemorates the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March, Vuk’uzenzele highlights the strides women are making in building careers in sport.

One such woman is Pearl Mosoane, a football administrator who was part of the South African delegation that travelled to the United States of America, Canada and Mexico during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mosoane described the experience as an honour and praised Bafana Bafana for their historic performance at the tournament, where the national team advanced to the knockout stages for the first time.

“Being at the World Cup was very refreshing. The conversations I had with people from Mexico, the USA and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) were quite eye-opening,” she said.

“I thought the team performed very well. Although some of our players may have been overwhelmed by the occasion in the first match, they are professionals and quickly worked through it. They performed much better in the second and third matches.”

She encouraged South Africans to be more positive and supportive when national teams compete at major international tournaments.

Currently, Mosoane serves as Club Manager and Media Officer at the University of Pretoria Football Club.

Mosoane has extensive experience in football administration.

Her journey in the sport began in 2003 when she enrolled for a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology at the University of Pretoria. During her time at the university, she was asked to represent the women’s football team on the club executive committee. She was also appointed as a student assistant by the team manager.

“In 2003, I was given an opportunity to become involved in football administration, and that opened many doors for me,” she said.

In 2008, Mosoane was elected National Deputy Chairperson of University Sport South Africa Football, a position she held for four years.

She also served as team manager of the South African student teams that competed at the Federation of African Universities Sports Games in Uganda. In 2009, she managed the women’s student national team that participated in the International University Sports Federation.

When the University of Pretoria Football Club was promoted to the Premier Soccer League in 2012, Mosoane served as club administrator. She was later appointed media officer in 2024. 

Among the highlights of her career was serving on the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations hosted by South Africa.

In 2026, the South African Football Association appointed Mosoane as the second assistant media officer for Bafana Bafana at the FIFA World Cup, a role she said marked another milestone in her career.