Chicago Fire sign Mbekezeli Mbokazi from Orlando Pirates
Mbekezeli Mbokazi is officially a new Chicago Fire player after completing a switch from Orlando Pirates, the club announced this morning. Mbokazi joins in a multi-million dollar switch from one of South Africa’s biggest clubs and signs a four-year deal with the club through the end of the 2028/29 season.
Mbokazi, who just turned 20 in the fall, is one of Africa’s top defensive prospects and is considered to be South Africa’s most exciting talent currently. He is already an international player with Bafana Bafana, making five appearances this year, including four starts in World Cup Qualifying as South Africa returns to the biggest stage for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010. He is set to represent his national team at the African Cup of Nations (Dec 21, 2025 – Jan 18, 2026) and will join up with Fire preseason thereafter.
The Fire were always expected to sign a high-level center back this winter, and now they have one in Mbokazi. He is a well-rounded ball-playing center back who, crucially, is left-footed, and regardless of whether Gregg Berhalter opts to play a back four or a back five next season, Mbokazi adds a third starting-calibre player to the rotation with Jack Elliott and Joel Waterman. Standing at just 5’11” (180cm), Mbokazi is not the tallest center back of that group, but brings other attributes, including his excellent passing range. With the top U.S. domestic center back prospect, Christopher Cupps, also developing and waiting in the wings, the central defensive group has gone from a significant weakness to a strength for the Fire.
Due to his transfer fee, Mbokazi joins the Fire as a U-22 Initiative player, among the most valuable designations for a player on an MLS roster. These contracts are intended to entice high-potential young players to join MLS and have previously been used by the Fire to bring in the likes of Jhon Durán, Fede Navarro, and Leo Barroso. Due to his high potential, Mbokazi could be someone to move on to Europe in the future if he continues to progress on his current trajectory.
In terms of roster construction, the Fire are currently “over-the-limit” in terms of U-22 players. With Mbokazi’s addition, there are now five, with the others being Leo Barroso, Djé D’Avilla, Brian Gutiérrez, and Viktor Radojević. There remains a very solid possibility that Gutiérrez will leave for Liga MX this winter, and a second slot can be vacated by buying down Radojević, so there is minimal concern in terms of managing the current overload.
Though it is only the first week of December, Mbokazi is already the third player that the Fire have signed since their playoff elimination by the Philadelphia Union. The loan deal for Portuguese midfielder André Franco was made permanent, while Swedish international midfielder Anton Salétros was also signed to a TAM deal last month. The team currently has just one open roster slot and four players without international slots, but a lot will change in the coming months before the season kicks off in mid-February. They are expected to have the flexibility to sign a third Designated Player if the opportunity presents itself in 2026.
