Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says he is confident South Africa can make history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after officially naming his final 26-man squad.
The squad was unveiled on Wednesday evening during the national team’s official send-off dinner hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
Broos addressed members of the media on Thursday morning at Bafana Bafana’s team hotel in Sandton, where he reflected on the difficult selection process and the team’s ambitions ahead of the global tournament.
The last two weeks were very difficult because we had to make the final decisions for such a big tournament,” said Broos.
“We had many conversations as a technical team before deciding on the final 26 players, but now we are together and ready for the biggest tournament in football.”
The Belgian mentor said the squad understands the significance of representing South Africa at the World Cup, especially after the country’s long absence from football’s biggest stage.
“It has been a long time since South Africa participated in such a big tournament, so everybody is excited and ready to give everything to achieve good results,” he said.
The final squad includes experienced campaigners such as captain Ronwen Williams, Teboho Mokoena, Themba Zwane and Lyle Foster, alongside several emerging talents and overseas-based players.
Broos believes the balance within the squad gives Bafana Bafana a realistic opportunity of progressing beyond the group stage for the first time in the nation’s history.
These players have the talent and qualities to achieve great results at the World Cup,” he said.
“There are no huge differences between the teams in our group, which means every game will be competitive. We do not have teams like Brazil, Spain or France in our group, so that gives us a chance.”
The veteran coach also highlighted the revised World Cup format, which allows some third-placed teams to advance to the knockout stages.
In the past, you had to finish first or second, but now there is still a possibility for the third-placed team to qualify. That gives us hope, but we still need points and strong performances,” Broos explained.
Despite the challenge ahead, Broos says belief within the camp remains high as South Africa prepares for its return to the world stage.
“It has never happened in South African football that the national team goes beyond the group stages at the World Cup, but we believe it is possible. We are ready to fight for it,” he concluded.
Bafana Bafana Final Squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Bafana Bafana will now turn their attention to preparations ahead of the tournament, beginning with their final home friendly against Nicaragua at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday evening. Kick-off is scheduled for 18:00.
Bafana are then expected to fly to their base camp in Mexico on Sunday, where they will play one last international friendly against Jamaica before the FIFA World Cup officially gets underway.