Bafana Bafana’s two-match series against Panama may have started radiantly under the bright, radiant skies of KwaZulu-Natal with an impressive performance, but it ended with more questions than answers in the Mother City, with the Central American country badly exposing Hugo Broos’ charges ahead of the looming 2026 Fifa World Cup.
There’s only one Fifa calendar opening left before the World Cup gets underway, and the sad, biting truth is that Bafana are really not looking the part.
Broos has done a magnificent job in reviving the fortunes of the team and has been outstanding in his resolve. More often than not, he swam against the tide of popular opinion and did not give his detractors an ear.
In fact, he gave them the middle finger and continued with his business unabated, turning a bunch of losers and no-hopers into a formidable team.
After an impressive 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign, Broos led Bafana to a bronze medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Subsequent to that, he qualified for the next edition (2025) at a canter, with a few games in hand and without losing a match. As if that wasn’t enough, he ended Mzansi’s 16-year wait to qualify for a World Cup.
Worryingly, that particular World Cup is a mere two months away, and Bafana and Broos find themselves at sixes and sevens.
In Cape Town, Bafana started well, but the manner in which they capitulated is a cause for concern as they prepare to face Mexico, South Korea and the Czech Republic in Group A at the World Cup.
“We cannot go with this level to the World Cup,” Broos was quoted in the media after the second game.
“We started very well, and we played a very good first half, even though it was another Panama team than that we played against on Friday.
“We had again three open chances. And again, we didn’t score. So, I think if we could have scored one of those chances, that maybe it would be another game. But in the second half, we were overpowered by Panama physically.”
By now, Broos should have finalised his team and should be finetuning his tactics, combinations, attacking and defending strategies, but the coach and his technical team are still scrambling around for players. And as a result, they were forced to make wholesome changes to the team, prior to and during the match.
This confirms that the coach is still shopping around and that places are also still up for grabs. That he still has not figured out his striking force and central defensive pairing, is a cause for concern, at this late stage.
“So, I think, because of the many changes we made, there was disorganisation in our team, but I have to say that, again, it was a very interesting game for us, and the goal of this game was playing against another team with another style. And certainly not an African team.
“It was a preparation game, and for me, it was not so important to win that game but rather to give an experience to the players of how a team from outside Africa plays.
“I know that there are still some weaknesses in the team. The two games were a good test for us, and I saw some things that I did not know before the matches, and that’s why we played those players. There has to be another friendly in June, and I am not sure which team. But I would like to play European opponents or Asian teams because we are drawn against them in the World Cup.”
- Bafana Bafana began their two-match series against Panama strongly in KwaZulu-Natal with an impressive display.
- However, the series ended poorly in Cape Town, where Panama significantly outperformed the South African team.
- The second match exposed several weaknesses in Hugo Broos’ squad.
- The results raise concerns ahead of South Africa’s preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- Full details of the story are available in the Sunday World e-edition.
Bafana Bafana’s two-match series against Panama may have started radiantly under the bright, radiant skies of KwaZulu-Natal with an impressive performance, but it ended with more questions than answers in the
Broos has done a magnificent job in reviving the fortunes of the team and has been outstanding in his resolve. More often than not, he swam against the tide of popular opinion and did not give his detractors an ear.
In fact, he gave them the middle finger and continued with his business unabated, turning a bunch of losers and no-hopers into a formidable team.
After an impressive 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign, Broos led Bafana to a bronze medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Subsequent to that, he qualified for the next edition (2025) at a canter, with a few games in hand and without losing a match. As if that wasn’t enough, he ended Mzansi’s 16-year wait to qualify for a World Cup.
In Cape Town, Bafana started well, but the manner in which they capitulated is a cause for concern as they prepare to face Mexico,
“We cannot go with this level to the World Cup,” Broos was quoted in the media after the second game.
“We started very well, and we played a very good first half, even though it was another Panama team than that we played against on Friday.
“We had again three open chances.
By now, Broos should have finalised his team and should be finetuning his tactics, combinations, attacking and defending strategies, but the coach and his technical team are still scrambling around for players.
“So, I think, because of the many changes we made, there was disorganisation in our team, but I have to say that, again, it was a very interesting game for us, and the goal of this game was playing against another team with another style.
“It was a preparation game, and for me, it was not so important to win that game but rather to give an experience to the players of how a team from outside Africa plays.
“I know that there are still some weaknesses in the team.
