"It's time to go Bek home" - Oseni Rufai and Nigerians troll South Africa after escaping defeat against Czechia

Social media reactions in Nigeria have intensified following South Africa's 1-1 draw against Czechia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A.

Czechia took the lead in the 6th minute through Michal Sadílek, but South Africa equalised late via a Teboho Mokoena penalty in the 83rd minute.

The result earned both teams their first point of the tournament after opening losses, keeping their qualification hopes mathematically alive but leaving South Africa facing a difficult path ahead.

Following the result, many users on social media revived the viral phrase "go bek home" (a phonetic twist on "go back home") to mock Bafana Bafana's performance.

The phrase, which reverses xenophobic "go back home" rhetoric sometimes directed at Nigerian and other African migrants in South Africa, quickly trended among Nigerian users on X.

It was used to highlight Bafana Bafana's struggles on the pitch amid longstanding regional tensions over immigration and employment.

Prominent Nigerian media personality and Arise TV presenter Oseni Rufai helped amplify the meme with his post during and after the match, prompting widespread quote tweets and replies that framed the draw as insufficient for South Africa's progression.

Rufai wrote on his official X account: "South Africa it’s time to go Bek home."

Many Nigerian users flooded the platform with jokes linking the result to immigration debates, with several posts telling South Africa to “go bek home and protect their jobs.” Others predicted an early exit for Bafana Bafana despite the late equaliser.

See some tweets below.

South African fans pushed back, highlighting Nigeria’s own football and domestic challenges, keeping the cross-border rivalry alive on social media.

The online banter underscores the deep-seated football and socio-political tensions between the two nations, which often surface during major tournaments.

South Africa will need strong results in their remaining group games to advance, while Nigerian fans appear ready to keep the “go bek home” pressure on their continental rivals.