Samukele Kabini is a South African defender who plays for Molde FK in Norway. His documented career milestones include a move from TS Galaxy in March 2025, selection for South Africa’s 2026 World Cup squad and his first senior international goal in September 2026.
Samukele Kabini at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Samukele Alucious Kabini |
| Date of birth | 15 March 2004 |
| Age | 22 as of 1 November 2026 |
| Nationality | South African |
| Club | Molde FK |
| Positions | Left-back and centre-back |
| Preferred foot | Left |
FIFA’s World Cup squad list records his full name, birth date and Molde affiliation. His playing positions and left-footedness are described in Molde’s signing announcement. Source: FIFA squad list, South Africa, page 40 (PDF).
From TS Galaxy to Molde
Molde announced Kabini’s signing on 20 March 2025, shortly after his 21st birthday. He arrived from TS Galaxy in South Africa’s top division on a contract running through 2028. Molde also identified him as the club’s first South African player.
In the announcement, Kabini said he saw Molde as a place to develop and was attracted by the club’s performances in Norway and Europe. He had completed his medical and was due to begin training with the squad that day. Source: Molde’s transfer announcement, 20 March 2025.
Playing role
Molde describes Kabini as a versatile, physically strong defender with experience at left-back and centre-back. In his own description of his game, he emphasised intensity and physical duels.
Molde league statistics
The figures below come from Molde’s live player profile, checked on 1 November 2026. They cover Eliteserien matches only.
| Season | Appearances | Minutes | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | 1,505 | 1 | 3 |
| 2026, snapshot | 17 | 1,348 | 1 | 1 |
The 2026 row is a snapshot of an ongoing season. Cup matches, reserve-team appearances and internationals are separate categories and are excluded from this table. Molde lists Norwegian Cup entries under different season labels, so those figures have not been combined into an undated career total. Source: Molde’s official player profile.
South Africa selection and the 2026 World Cup
On 2 December 2025, Molde confirmed Kabini’s selection for South Africa’s Africa Cup of Nations squad for the tournament in Morocco. Source: Molde’s AFCON announcement.
He was subsequently included in South Africa’s 2026 World Cup squad, as recorded in FIFA’s official squad list. The tournament was hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Source: FIFA’s tournament dates and host information.
South Africa’s campaign ended with a 1–0 defeat to Canada in the round of 32 on 28 June 2026. Molde’s competition record lists zero World Cup playing appearances for Kabini. Source: CAF’s elimination report.
First senior international goal
CAF reported that Kabini scored his first international goal on 26 September 2026 in South Africa’s 2–1 win over Guinea at Orlando Stadium. His goal came 13 minutes from time in the opening Group D match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Source: CAF, 26 September 2026.
Salary, transfer fee and personal life
Molde’s signing announcement confirms his contract term but does not disclose wages or a transfer fee. The sources used for this profile do not establish a personal net-worth figure or verified details of a spouse or partner.
Correction and review, 1 November 2026: This article corrects the World Cup host reference, replaces pre-tournament predictions with documented outcomes, separates league statistics from other competitions and removes unsupported salary, wealth and scouting claims. Statistics are dated snapshots.
