It was not the kind of fanfare one would have expected when Bafana Bafana arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday morning.
This is after they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It was an underwhelming and low-key welcome for coach Hugo Broos’ side that has reclaimed its place on the table with the big boys.
Bafana have brought back their spark and the fearsome aura after they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following their impressive 3-0 victory over Rwanda at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night.
The last time they played at a FIFA World Cup was in 2010, when they hosted the first tournament on the African continent, where they qualified by virtue of being hosts.
Nigeria’s victory played big role in qualification
But they have been struggling to be part of this biggest sporting competition by qualifying in the field of play. Last night, they fought very hard, and Nigeria also did them a world of good by thrashing Benin 4-0 in Uyo.
The Bafana squad landed in Johannesburg in dribs and drabs after they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Maybe it was because the team played at night, and it was an early morning flight for the players and team officials.
The fans surely did not know about the arrival and travel plans of their favourite team. The Bafana team were visibly tired and exhausted after the celebrations that went on until the early hours of Wednesday.
The first batch of players included the captain, Ronwen Williams; the head coach, Hugo Broos; and assistant coaches Helman Mkhalele and Grant Johnson.
Other players in the first batch were Mohau Nkota, Mothusi Aubaas, Evidence Makgopa, Sipho Mbule, Nkosinathi Sibisi, and Ricardo Goss.
The other half arrived later with the SAFA officials, and all the players will head to their various clubs for PSL engagements and CAF club competitions for others.
Coach Mkhalele could not hide his excitement: “I am very excited about the achievement, especially when you consider where we are coming from as a team. The boys did the country good and I am very happy that we are going to the World Cup finally.
“It has been a long time since we played at this tournament and I am happy and excited about this generation of players, they are very good, and the future is very bright for our country. With these players, I can tell you that we are not going to the World Cup to make up the numbers, we want to compete and leave an impression against the best countries in the world,” said Mkhalele, who was part of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France as a player.
