Jayden Adams
 Adams with Stellenbosch in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jayden Oswin Adams | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 May 2001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 11 July 2026 (aged 25) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2026 | South Africa | 13 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Jayden Oswin Adams (5 May 2001[1] – 11 July 2026) was a South African professional soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
[change | change source]Stellenbosch
[change | change source]In 2020, Adams made his senior debut for the then recently promoted Stellenbosch F.C..[1]
In 2023, he helped Stellenbosch win the Carling Knockout Cup.[2]
Mamelodi Sundowns
[change | change source]In January 2025, Adams joined the Mamelodi Sundowns based in Pretoria.[3] In the same season he won the South African Premiership with the club.[4]
In May 2026, he won the CAF Champions League with the Sundowns after helping them defeat Moroccan-side AS FAR.[3][4]
International career
[change | change source]In 2022, Adams made his senior debut for South Africa in a match against Mozambique.[3][5]
On 28 December 2023, Adams was named by Hugo Broos as part of his final 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.[6]
Adams was called up by South Africa to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup,[7] where he would play in all 3 of South Africa's group stage matches, helping them qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in their history, however, he would not play in the match against Canada.[1]
During his international career he earned a total 13 caps and scored 2 goals,[5] with both being scored during 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.[8]
Death
[change | change source]On 11 July 2026, Adams was found dead in home located in Schotsche Kloof, a suburb in central Cape Town,[9][2] at the age of 25, leaving behind his partner, Aqueelah Adendorf, and a five-year old daughter.[10] This came only 16 days after he had played in the group stage of the World Cup against South Korea.[11]
Prior to the quarterfinal match between Norway and England, a moment of silence was held for Adams.[12] Another tribute was held for Adams in the quarterfinal match between Argentina and Switzerland.[13]
As of 12 July 2026, an official cause of death has yet to be released.[5]
Career statistics
[change | change source]Club
[change | change source]| Club | Season | League | Nedbank Cup | Knockout Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stellenbosch FC | 2019–20 | South African Premiership | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | South African Premiership | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | South African Premiership | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 2 | ||||
| 2022–23 | South African Premiership | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | South African Premiership | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | 35 | 3 | ||
| 2024–25 | South African Premiership | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[b] | 1 | 4[a] | 1 | 13 | 2 | |
| Total | 109 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 139 | 9 | ||
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 2024–25 | South African Premiership | 17 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | 32 | 4 |
| 2025–26 | South African Premiership | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[c] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| Total | 40 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 65 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 149 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 204 | 15 | ||
- 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in MTN 8
- ↑ Appearances in CAF Confederation Cup
- 1 2 Apperances in CAF Champions League
- ↑ Three appearances in MTN 8, three appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
International career statistics
[change | change source]| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 2 | |
Honours
[change | change source]Stellenbosch FC
Mamelodi Sundowns
South Africa
- Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2023
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 3 Cardoso, Javier; Roche, Calum (2026-07-11). "Minute's silence as Jayden Adams dies aged 25 | What was cause of death of South Africa's 2026 World Cup player?". AS USA. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- 1 2 Christenson, Marcus (2026-07-11). "South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies aged 25". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- 1 2 3 "South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies at 25". NBC News. 2026-07-11. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- 1 2 "Jayden Adams defied childhood odds to make Bafana & Cloetesville proud at the World Cup". www.espn.com. 2026-07-11. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- 1 2 3 "FIFA World Cup 2026 | How did South African midfielder Jayden Adams die?". @theweek. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Lambley, Garrin (2023-12-28). "AFCON 2023: Bafana Bafana squad CLUB breakdown". The South African. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ "Broos finalizes South Africa squad". www.fifa.com. 2026-05-27. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ "South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies at 25 | CNN". CNN. 2026-07-11. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ "Jayden Adams: South Africa World Cup player dies aged 25". BBC Sport. 2026-07-11. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Deb, Prakriti (2026-07-11). "Who is Jayden Adams' daughter? What we know about South Africa star's family after his death". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Conybeare, Will (2026-07-11). "Soccer player dies 16 days after World Cup appearance". KTLA. Retrieved 2026-07-12.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Machlin, Tzvi (2026-07-11). "Players Paid Tribute To Jayden Adams Before England-Norway World Cup Game". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ "FIFA pays tribute to World Cup star who died days after playing at tournament". The Mirror US. 2026-07-12. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- 1 2 "Jayden Adams - Stats and titles won - 25/26". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
External links
[change | change source]Jayden Adams Archived 2026-07-13 at the Wayback Machine at Mamelodi Sundowns
