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Jayden Adams

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Jayden Adams
Adams' official headshot from the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Jayden Oswin Adams
Date of birth (2001-05-05)5 May 2001
Place of birth Cape Town, South Africa
Date of death c. 11 July 2026 (aged 25)
Place of death Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town, South Africa
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position Defensive midfielder
Youth career
–2020 Stellenbosch
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2025 Stellenbosch 109 (7)
2025–2026 Mamelodi Sundowns 40 (4)
Total 149 (11)
International career
2022 South Africa B
2022–2026 South Africa 13 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  South Africa
Africa Cup of Nations
Third place2023 Ivory Coast
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jayden Oswin Adams (5 May 2001 – c. 11 July 2026) was a South African professional soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder. He played for Stellenbosch, Mamelodi Sundowns, and the South African national team.

Early life

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Jayden Oswin Adams[2] was born in Cape Town[3] on 5 May 2001[4] to Candice and Juanito Adams and grew up in Cloetesville, a poor suburb of Stellenbosch, South Africa.[5][6]

Career

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Adams played as a defensive midfielder and also as a winger.[7]

Club

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Adams came through the academy of Stellenbosch and signed a long-term contract in August 2020, becoming the club's first academy graduate to sign a contract professionally.[8][7] He made his senior debut later that month as a substitute in a 1–1 draw at home against Chippa United on 28 August.[9] In six seasons with the club, Adams tallied 109 appearances and scored seven times.[10]

In January 2025, Adams joined Mamelodi Sundowns,[11] where he won the South African Premiership in his first season with the club. In May 2026, Mamelodi won the 2026 CAF Champions League.[5] In his two seasons with the team, Adams appeared in 67 games.[12]

International career

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Adams's international career started with the South Africa B team in a game against Mozambique in the 2022 COSAFA Cup.[13][14] He scored his first international goal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho.[15] He was named to the South Africa squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[16] He featured in all of his team's group-stage matches in Group A during the tournament.[17] He started in the game against Mexico in Mexico City on 11 June, which ended in a 2–0 loss, and against the Czech Republic on 18 June, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He came in as a substitute on 24 June, when Bafana Bafana beat South Korea 1–0 in Monterrey, in what would be the final match in his football career.[5][18] He did not appear during the 0–1 loss to Canada in the round of 32.[19] Adams scored two goals in 13 games for South Africa throughout his international career.[20]

Personal life and death

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Adams's close friend and former teammate Oshwin Andries was stabbed to death in 2023,[21] and Adams dedicated his Sundowns medal to Andries.[18] His grandmother, Marianna Adams, died on 17 June 2026, the day before South Africa's World Cup encounter with Czech Republic.[5]

Adams was found dead in Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town on 11 July 2026, aged 25, from undisclosed causes.[22][23] His death was confirmed by his representatives and guardian, with family spokesperson Brendine Johnson requesting privacy on behalf of the family.[24][22] On 13 July, Cape Town central police launched an investigation into Adams's death.[25]

Adams and his partner, Aqueelah Adendorf, had a daughter who was aged five at the time of his death.[26] Adams also had a son with Jody Solomons, Jude Sage, who was born in August 2024.[27]

FIFA held a moment of silence in Adams's honour during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals with Norway vs. England and Argentina vs. Switzerland on 11 July.[28][29][30][31]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[9]
Club Season League Nedbank Cup Knockout Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stellenbosch FC 2019–20 South African Premiership 2000———20
2020–21 South African Premiership 21010———220
2021–22 South African Premiership 25210———262
2022–23 South African Premiership 2813000—1[a]0321
2023–24 South African Premiership 2533040—3[a]0353
2024–25 South African Premiership 8100109[b]14[a]1132
Total 1097805091811399
Mamelodi Sundowns 2024–25 South African Premiership 17331006[c]06[d]0324
2025–26 South African Premiership 23110009[c]100332
Total 404410015160656
Career total 149111215024214120415
  1. 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in MTN 8
  2. ↑ Appearances in CAF Confederation Cup
  3. 1 2 Apperances in CAF Champions League
  4. ↑ Three appearances in MTN 8, three appearances in FIFA Club World Cup

International

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Source: [1]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
South Africa 2022 3 0
2024 2 0
2025 2 2
2026 6 0
Total 13 2
Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Adams goal.
List of international goals scored by Jayden Adams
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 March 2025 Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa  Lesotho 2–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification[15]
2 25 March 2025 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Benin 2–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification[32]

Honours

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Stellenbosch FC

Mamelodi Sundowns

South Africa

References

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  1. 1 2 "Jayden Adams". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 25 February 2025.[dead link]
  2. ↑ "Squad List: FIFA World Cup 2026: South Africa (RSA)" (PDF). FIFA. 10 July 2026. p. 40. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Nel, Brandon; Sherman, Michael (11 July 2026). "Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns Star Jayden Adams Found Dead, Police Open Inquest". iol.co.za. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Jayden Adams Stats". Soccerway. 11 July 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Solms, Leonard (11 July 2026). "Jayden Adams defied childhood odds to make Bafana & Cloetesville proud at the World Cup". www.espn.com. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Solomons, Tarryn-Leigh (13 July 2026). "Jayden Adams' father: 'The family is struggling'". The South African. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 Ndebele, Sihle (12 August 2020). "Time for Diski fledglings to fly high". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Stellenbosch announce promotion of Jayden Adams". Kick Off. 5 August 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  9. 1 2 Jayden Adams at Soccerway. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  10. ↑ Ehalt, Matt (11 July 2026). "South Africa soccer star Jayden Adams dead at 25 shortly after historic World Cup success". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Mamelodi Sundowns confirm Jayden Adams transfer from Stellenbosch FC after snubbing Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, but won't play in Caf Champions League | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Imber, Leon; Hughes, Simon (11 July 2026). "South Africa' s Jayden Adams, 25, dies two weeks after playing at World Cup". The Athletic. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies at 25". NBC News. 11 July 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Mphelo, Namhla (1 July 2022). "Mkhalele names final Bafana squad for COSAFA". South African Football Association. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  15. 1 2 "2026 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers: Bafana Bafana go top of Group C after beating Lesotho with international debut goals from Orlando Pirates star Relebohile Mofokeng and Mamelodi Sundowns' Jayden Adams | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 21 March 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "South Africa name final squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup". COSAFA | The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations. 10 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies aged 25". The Guardian. 11 July 2026.
  18. 1 2 "South African World Cup player Jayden Adams dies aged 25". ABC News. 11 July 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  19. ↑ O'Brien, Sean (11 July 2026). "South Africa player Jayden Adams dies aged 25 shortly after competing at World Cup". talkSPORT.
  20. ↑ Said, Nick (11 July 2026). "South Africa World Cup midfielder Adams dies aged 25". Reuters.
  21. ↑ van den Heever, Megan (11 July 2026). "RIP Jayden Adams: Inquest into 'suicide' of Bafana star". The South African.
  22. 1 2 "South Africa World Cup midfielder Adams dies aged 25". BBC Sport. 11 July 2026. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Breaking: Bafana Bafana And Mamelodi Sundowns Midfielder Jayden Adams Passes Away At 25". Soccer Laduma. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Police investigate the death of South Africa World Cup soccer player Jayden Adams". 13 July 2026. Archived from the original on 14 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Deb, Prakriti (11 July 2026). "Who is Jayden Adams' daughter? What we know about South Africa star's family after his death". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Nkadimeng, Innocentia (15 July 2026). "'I'll keep your memory alive': mother of Jayden Adams' son pays tribute to late footballer". Sowetan.
  28. ↑ Mahlase, Eliot (11 July 2026). "FIFA to honour Jayden Adams with minute's silence at World Cup quarter-finals". The South African.
  29. ↑ Hall, Meghan L. "World Cup moment of silence held for Jayden Adams at England-Norway match". USA TODAY. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  30. ↑ Abbie Parr (11 July 2026). "Switzerland Argentina WCup Soccer". Sun Newspapers. AP. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "FIFA and South Africa pay tribute to Adams".
  32. ↑ Willis, Seth (26 March 2025). "WATCH: Lyle Foster and Jayden Adams bring Bafana Bafana closer to 2026 World Cup finals with strikes against Benin as Nigeria lose more ground". Goal.com. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "Stellenbosch triumph in Carling Knockout final". SuperSport. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  34. ↑ Edwards, Piers (10 February 2024). "South Africa 0–0 DR Congo". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
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