South Africa Coach Hugo Broos is within a touching distance of winning the Group C ticket to the 2026 World Cup, but his team has been hit by an injury crisis ahead of two crucial games against Lesotho and Nigeria.
The Bafana Bafana will be ‘away’ to Lesotho in Bloemfontein today and host Nigeria at the same venue on Tuesday.
These are games that will put them in an untouchable position if they win them. But preparing for these games has not been easy for the Belgian, who sees the 2026 World Cup ticket as a fitting retirement gift after an illustrious football career as a player and a manager.
Broos, who took over the team in 2021, has described the current camp as one of the most difficult he’s experienced with the side.
Apart from injuries to some key players, Broos is dealing with concerns about the playing pitch, according to South African news outlet, Sportswire.
The match against Lesotho was moved from the Toyota Stadium when the venue failed a recent FIFA inspection due to its poor condition. The damage was worsened after it hosted a rugby match last week.
South African Football Association (SAFA) was forced to move the game to the smaller Dr. Molemela Stadium, but venue for the crucial game against Nigeria is yet to be decided.
Aside the venue issue, sportswire reports that several key players like Themba Zwane, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Patrick Maswanganyi, and the Nigerian-born Ime Okon have been ruled out by injury, adding that Sipho Mbule and Thabo Moloisane have been called up to replace Maswanganyi and Okon, respectively.
Lamenting the chaotic situation, Broos said: “I have to say that this is maybe one of the most difficult preparations I have had since I’m the coach of Bafana Bafana.
“We have a lot of injuries, important players. First of all, Sibisi, he is not here, Okon is injured, Themba was playing but he is injured, (Siphephelo) Sithole played his first game this weekend and he is still not here, (Deano) van Rooyen, Grant Kekana.”
He explained that it’s especially challenging to prepare for matches with such a short window. “We had to tell Maswanganyi to go home after the injury on Sunday (for his club Orlando Pirates against Chippa United).
The reason we took that decision, we are not sure if ‘Tito’ will be ready for that game on Friday. It is very difficult when you work in the national team where you only have three or four days to prepare the game. It is easier when you are a club coach because you have five, six weeks of pre-season and you have all trainings.”
However, despite these challenges, Broos is still optimistic that his wards will breast the tape ahead of Nigeria and the other contenders in Group C.
South Africa is currently leading Group C with 13 points, followed by Rwanda and Benin, who each have eight points, with Nigeria on fourth position with seven points. There are four matches remaining in the qualifying campaign.
The South Africans will almost certainly grab the World Cup ticket of they beat Lesotho and Nigeria. So, he wants his team to remain focused.
“It’s a must-win match, and we cannot afford to lose points against Lesotho, but it doesn’t mean I underestimate that opponent. That’s the biggest mistake we can make, to think that it’s only Lesotho and we’ll win,” he said.
“Lesotho played against Nigeria last year, I think, and they are our neighbors, and you know how the neighbors are. We have to be careful, and we have to keep the pressure on the opponents. If we win the game on Friday, the job is done.”
Broos added that a win today would put significant pressure on Nigeria, who are playing against Rwanda tomorrow.
“If we win on Friday, there will be big pressure on their shoulders because then they have to win against Rwanda. Rwanda doesn’t want to lose, may not lose, to keep second place.”
