The South African national football team Bafana Bafana will play in front of a sell-out crowd of 75,000 when they face Colombia in an friendly match at South Africa's premier FIFA World Cup stadium Soccer City on Thursday night.

On Wednesday the South African Football Association (SAFA) announced that all tickets have been sold out.

Colombia, ranked 35th in the world, will provide a stiff test for Bafana Bafana, who in the latest rankings have moved up from 90th to 83rd on the strength of their wins over Jamaica and Thailand.

Thursday's match is part of Bafana's preparations for the FIFA World Cup which opens with a game between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City on June 5.

On Wednesday SAFA chief executive Leslie Sedibe praised South African fans for rallying around Bafana.

He said: "It is fantastic. The fans have come to the World Cup party big time by rallying around the team and the flag."