Jayden Adams, the 25-year-old South African midfielder who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns and the national team Bafana Bafana, is not dead. Reports circulating on social media claiming otherwise are false.
The confusion appears to stem from the passing of Adams’ grandmother, Marianna Adams, who died at 72 in a Stellenbosch hospital around June 17, 2026. The South African Football Association confirmed her death and burial on June 27. Adams himself played in South Africa’s World Cup group-stage match against Czechia on June 18, just one day after his grandmother’s passing.
No credible news outlet has reported Adams as deceased. SAFA’s official statement specifically referenced Marianna Adams, not the player himself.
The verification gap remains a factor here. SAFA’s confirmation of the actual facts came on June 27, roughly ten days after Marianna Adams’ passing.
Adams, born May 5, 2001, continues his career with Mamelodi Sundowns and represented South Africa at the World Cup this month. The only thing he lost was his grandmother, which is tragedy enough without the internet piling fiction on top of reality.
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