Bafana Bafana’s upward trajectory in the continent is leaving head coach Hugo Broos with a nice headache when it comes to squad selection.
This week, Broos named a 45-member preliminary team to face Zimbabwe and Rwanda in the two final 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers to be played next month.
The squad is brimming with exceptional talent, and the Belgium-born coach will be spending the next days trimming the team to the final 23-man team that will represent SA.
Up for grabs is also a place in the squad that will be selected for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in December/January.
First Broos’ charges will play Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in a Fifa World Cup qualifier on Friday, October 10 at 3:00pm. The South African senior men’s national team will then host Rwanda in the last qualifier match at the Mbombela Stadium, in Mpumalanga, on Tuesday, October 13. Kick-off for this last qualifier will be at 6:00pm.
Bafana Bafana are top of Group C in the 2026 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers with 17 points after eight matches. They are followed by second-placed Benin and Nigeria, who are on 14 and 11 points respectively. The Rwandans are on 11 points, followed by Lesotho on six points and Zimbabwe (four points).
Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Sphephele “Yaya” Sithole were named in the squad after a long absence. Sithole has been out due to a lengthy injury, while Hlongwane has been out of favour and out of form. Both players were key and trusted members of Broos’ squad when he took over in 2021, and it will be very interesting if they can make the final squad.
There’s also major decision to be made for the right-back position. Khuliso Mudau is back and will surely find strong competition in teammates Thapelo Morena and Zuko Mdunyelwa. Kaizer Chiefs’ hard-working Thabiso Monyane, Polokwane City’s Thabang Matuludi, Khulumane Ndamase (TS Galaxy) and Stellenbosch FC’s Thabo Moloisane, coach Broos will surely have some conversations with his assistant Helman Mkhalele.
The likes of red-hot Devon Titus, Tshepang Moremi, Vuyo Letlapa and Ashley Cupido and Keegan Allen are set to add more migraines for the SA technical team. Broos will announce the final 23-member squad in the coming days and tickets are already available at all Ticketpro outlets.
