Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos and a Safa delegation are making their way to the US to attend the much-awaited 2026 Fifa World Cup draw which will take place on Friday night (December 5) at 7pm (SA time).
The draw will take place at a glitzy event at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. And the occasion will be graced by Hollywood movie stars Kevin Hart, Danny Ramirez and model and TV celebrity Heidi Klum.
First World Cup in 16 years
In June next year, South Africa will play at a Fifa World Cup for the first time in 16 years after Broos’ team qualified for the tournament following an arduous and robust qualifying campaign last month. The World Cup will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 – July 19.
Bafana almost missed out after the team was docked three points by Fifa after they fielded an ineligible player Teboho Mokoena in one of the qualifying matches. Safa last played at a World Cup in 2010 when they hosted the spectacle on home soil. They had last qualified on the field of play for the 2002 tournament which was organised by Korea and Japan.
The Safa ensemble will be led by president Danny Jordaan, Broos, Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka, Safa commercial & marketing manager Errol Madlala, travel & procurement manager Veronica Mokoena, and communications manager Mninawa Ntloko.
Series of seminars
According to Safa, and besides the actual draw itself, Fifa has arranged a series of team seminars that will cover ticketing, hospitality, guest operations, team services and logistics, communications, event promotion, fan engagements, safety and security, among others.
Coaches will also have their own sessions. And Broos will represent Bafana Bafana, who qualified for the tournament after beating Rwanda in October 2025. Individual meetings will also be held to conclude plans around venue inspections after the draw has been completed.
