- CAF has published a statement about South Africa’s journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada
- Bafana Bafana returned to the global stage for the first time since becoming the first African nation to host in 2010
- Hugo Broos-led side finished top of Group C of the CAF qualifying series, which also had Nigeria and others
CAF has published a statement about South Africa’s path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
South Africa is one of the 10 countries representing Africa at the tournament, returning to the global stage for the first time since hosting the world in 2010.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by FIFA, Bafana Bafana will face Mexico at Estadio Azteca on June 11 in the opening match, exactly 16 years after the two teams also opened the 2010 World Cup.
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CAF releases statement on South Africa
CAF published a statement on its website celebrating Bafana Bafana’s return to the world stage after 16 years of coming close but never getting there.
South Africa qualified for their fourth World Cup, their first since 2010, after finishing top of Group C during the CAF qualifying series.
The qualifying series was not smooth for Bafana Bafana, but the end goal, which was to return to the global stage, was a satisfying reward.
A run of five wins, three draws and two losses helped them finish top of the group and narrowly clinched the ticket ahead of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
South Africa’s journey was complicated by the three-point deduction handed by FIFA for fielding the ineligible Teboho Mokoena during the win over Lesotho.
Bafana Bafana’s main target in the 2026 edition will be to make it to the knockout stage, for the first time in their history, having been eliminated in the group phase in previous outings.
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Hugo Broos looks forward to opening match
South Africa boss Hugo Broos has been putting his team through their paces and have played friendlies against Nicaragua and Jamaica, both of which they drew.
Broos urged his players to maintain focus ahead of their opening match against Mexico, where they will have the disadvantage of facing an overwhelming home crowd.
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“You know, it will be a special and fantastic experience for us because my players have never played in this kind of situation before,” Broos told SAFA.
“So it will be very important for us to stick to the game plan and not listen to what is happening in the stands. We all know that there will be thousands of Mexicans inside the stadium and maybe a few South Africans.”
Group stage games to look forward to
Legit.ng previously analysed the group stage matches involving African national teams to look forward to at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The first of them all is the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, a repeat of the 2010 World Cup opener exactly 16 years later.
Source: Legit.ng