# Thabang Matuludi
**Thabang Matuludi** (Tholo Thabang Matuludi, born 1999) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Mamelodi Sundowns and the South Africa national team.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1579341/tholo-matuludi) He rose from amateur football in Limpopo province to the 2026 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup) squad, a path that included three seasons as a near-ever-present right-back for Polokwane City in South Africa's top division.[2](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/) • [3](https://fbref.com/en/players/8a77ded2/Thabang-Matuludi)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tholo Thabang Matuludi[3](https://fbref.com/en/players/8a77ded2/Thabang-Matuludi) |
| Born | 1999, Limpopo, South Africa[4](https://www.transfermarkt.com/thabang-matuludi/profil/spieler/1109254) |
| Position | Right-back (also listed as a right winger earlier in his career)[4](https://www.transfermarkt.com/thabang-matuludi/profil/spieler/1109254) • [5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/) |
| Club career | The Dolphins (ABC Motsepe League, 2019); Polokwane City from 2021; Mamelodi Sundowns thereafter[5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/) • [1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1579341/tholo-matuludi) |
| Polokwane City league record | 118 appearances, 2 assists from 2021 to his departure[6](https://theanalyst.com/players/7814/thabang-matuludi/career) |
| National team | 3 caps for South Africa, 0 goals, first called up in 2025[7](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/thabang-matuludi/151790) |
| World Cup 2026 | Named in South Africa's squad for the tournament in Group A with Mexico, South Korea, and the Czech Republic[2](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/) |
## Early career in Limpopo
Matuludi began as a winger. At Kgahlanamorulana Secondary School in Jane Furse, in the Sekhukhune District of Limpopo, his teacher Lux Malaka recruited the 17-year-old to a club playing in the Local Football Association, and he later spent a season and a half with King Born FC.[5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/) In 2019 he signed for The Dolphins, a Limpopo side in the ABC Motsepe League, the third tier of South African football, and won a provincial championship with them.[5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/)
**The switch to right-back** happened by necessity. During the ABC Motsepe national playoffs, with the Dolphins' regular right-back taken off, Matuludi covered in that position and stayed there.[5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/) A friendly match against Polokwane City followed, and the club's then coaches Clinton Larsen and Willy Moloto told him they were impressed; [Polokwane](https://www.edgepedia.org/polokwane) signed him as a right-back.[5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/) Coach Phuti Mohafe, who first worked with him at Dolphins in 2021 when he was still a winger, has said the coaching staff moved him to right-back after seeing his ability.[8](https://african.football/how-thabang-matuludi-went-from-limpopo-amateur-football-to-mamelodi-sundowns/)
## Polokwane City
Matuludi joined Polokwane City in 2021 while the club was still in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, the second tier, and helped establish it in the top-flight Betway Premiership after promotion.[5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/) Across three [Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/premiership) seasons he was a near-ever-present: 29 league appearances in 2023-24, 12 in 2024-25, and 23 in 2025-26, for a total of 64 matches, 5 goals, and 2 assists in domestic league play.[3](https://fbref.com/en/players/8a77ded2/Thabang-Matuludi) Opta's career record credits him with 118 league appearances and 10,297 minutes for Polokwane from 2021 onward, including two seasons in the first division before promotion.[6](https://theanalyst.com/players/7814/thabang-matuludi/career)
His performances made him one of the most sought-after right-backs in the Betway Premiership, and he was rewarded with a call-up to the Bafana Bafana 2024 COSAFA Cup squad.[5](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/)
## International career and 2026 World Cup
Matuludi has 3 caps for South Africa with no goals, all coming after his first call-up in 2025.[7](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/thabang-matuludi/151790) He was named in coach Hugo Broos's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where South Africa played Mexico, the Czech Republic, and South Korea in [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a).[2](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/) A profile of the squad described him as a defender who prefers positioning over flair, reading danger early, and whose game is built on discipline and reliability.[9](https://the-goalpost.com/players/t-matuludi)
## Move to Mamelodi Sundowns
By late 2026 Matuludi had joined Mamelodi Sundowns, one of South Africa's leading clubs, where he plays as a right back.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1579341/tholo-matuludi) His Sundowns debut came shortly before a national-team call-up, and national coach [Pitso Mosimane](https://www.edgepedia.org/pitso-mosimane) publicly justified his selection despite limited game time, saying training performances also formed part of his assessment.[10](https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/bafana/2026-09-21-mosimane-explains-matuludi-selection-despite-lack-of-game-time/)
## Personal details
Sources differ on some biographical details. Transfermarkt and L'Équipe give his place of birth as Dennilton, Limpopo, while FBref lists Ngwaritsi, South Africa; Transfermarkt and FBref both list his height as 1.89 m, while L'Équipe gives 1.75 m.[4](https://www.transfermarkt.com/thabang-matuludi/profil/spieler/1109254) • [3](https://fbref.com/en/players/8a77ded2/Thabang-Matuludi) • [7](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/thabang-matuludi/151790) Profiles of his story emphasize his route from the ABC Motsepe League to the national team within roughly five years, discovered while playing amateur football.[11](https://zaponda.com/thabang-matuludi-comprehensive-profile-review/)
## References
1. [Thabang Matuludi, stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1579341/tholo-matuludi)
2. [Sudáfrica en el Mundial 2026: convocatoria, lista, jugadores, grupo y calendario, AS](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/)
3. [Thabang Matuludi Stats, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/8a77ded2/Thabang-Matuludi)
4. [Thabang Matuludi, Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.com/thabang-matuludi/profil/spieler/1109254)
5. [Thabang Matuludi reflects on his humble beginnings, FARPost (9 August 2024)](https://farpost.co.za/2024/08/09/thabang-matuludi-reflects-on-his-humble-beginnings/)
6. [Thabang Matuludi Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/7814/thabang-matuludi/career)
7. [Thabang Matuludi, joueur de football, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/thabang-matuludi/151790)
8. [How Thabang Matuludi went from Limpopo amateur football to Mamelodi Sundowns, African Football](https://african.football/how-thabang-matuludi-went-from-limpopo-amateur-football-to-mamelodi-sundowns/)
9. [Tholo Matuludi, Stats, Profile & World Cup 2026, GoalPost](https://the-goalpost.com/players/t-matuludi)
10. [Mosimane explains Matuludi's Bafana Bafana selection despite lack of game time, IOL](https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/bafana/2026-09-21-mosimane-explains-matuludi-selection-despite-lack-of-game-time/)
11. [Thabang Matuludi: Comprehensive Profile Review, Zaponda](https://zaponda.com/thabang-matuludi-comprehensive-profile-review/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Africa › Southern African footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license