WORLD CUP WISH

BAFANA BAFANA ARE BACK ON THE 2026 WORLD CUP BEAT AS THEY LOOK TO BOOK A PLACE AT THE FINALS

- By Mark Gleeson

Bafana Bafana resume their bid to try and win a place in next year's World Cup finals as the qualifying campaign for the tournament in North America gets back underway this month after a nine-month hiatus.

Benin and Lesotho are the next opponents for South Africa and although they might not seem like formidable foe, the pressure is on Hugo Broos and his team to deliver and keep their noses ahead in a tightly contested group.

After four matches, South Africa are in three-way tie on seven out of a possible 12 points along with upstarts Benin and Rwanda. But neither are expected to be able to keep up their positive beginning to Group C action with South Africa's real concern being Nigeria and Zimbabwe, who they meet later in the year.

The immediate ambition, therefore, must be to keep up their place at the head of the table and that would mean winning against both Lesotho and Benin.

This month’s first game is at home but the match against Benin is away in West Africa, where South Africa have got decent results last year when they finished third in the Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast and then drew away with Nigeria in the World Cup qualifier in mid-2024.

In terms of player resources and experience, the match-up against the mountain kingdom is heavily lopsided in South Africa’s favour. But the Basotho bristle whenever it is suggested they are nothing more than also rans.