South Africa Camp Rocked With Injuries Ahead of Crucial World Cup Qualifiers Against Nigeria
- South Africa is battling with serious injuries to members of their squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers
- Bafana Bafana will travel to Lesotho on Friday before hosting the Super Eagles next Tuesday in two must-win games
- South Africa top Group C and could secure World Cup qualification with wins over Lesotho and Nigeria
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South Africa’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been hit with a major setback as injuries pile up ahead of their crucial qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria.
Bafana Bafana had initially announced a strong 23-man squad, but fitness concerns have forced several changes in Hugo Broos’ final squad.
Source: Getty Images
Coach Broos revealed that injuries to key players have left him with one of his toughest preparations since taking charge of the national team.
Orlando Pirates forward Patrick Maswanganyi and Hannover 96 defender Ime Okon are the latest players who have been affected both withdrawing from the squad due to injury, The Post reports.
Both players have been replaced by Sipho Mbule of Orlando Pirates and Thabo Moloisane of Stellenbosch FC.
“This is one of the most difficult preparations I’ve had since I’ve been the coach of Bafana Bafana. We have many injuries to important players,” Broos lamented.
“But we don’t have to focus on that; this is out of our power. We just must focus on the game because it’s a must-win match, and we cannot afford to lose points against Lesotho.”
Broos warns squad against complacency
While many expect South Africa to brush aside Lesotho, Broos has warned his players not to underestimate their Southern neighbours.
Source: Getty Images
The Bafana Bafana manager emphasised the potential pitfalls of facing regional rivals, stressing the importance of maintaining focus.
“The biggest mistake we can ever make is to underestimate our opponents. They are our neighbours, and we understand how challenging it can be to face tricky neighbours. We must be careful and keep the pressure on Nigeria,” the Belgian tactician added.
South Africa will travel to Lesotho before hosting Nigeria, who have also released a star-studded 23-man squad, in what could prove to be a decisive doubleheader for Broos’ team.
Group C still open
South Africa, who await FIFA's punishment for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho, are bidding to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010.
They have so far been impressive in the qualifiers, as they sit top of Group C with 13 points from six games, per FIFA.com.
Rwanda and Benin trail behind with eight points each, while Nigeria are third with seven points. Lesotho have six points, and Zimbabwe are bottom with four.
Winning both games against Lesotho and Nigeria would all but seal South Africa’s ticket to the 2026 World Cup, with just two matches to play in the final round of qualifiers.
Broos admits his preparations have been far from ideal, but he insists that South Africa cannot let external factors derail their ambition.
South Africa name final 23-man squad
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that South Africa has announced their final 23-man squad for next month's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier matches and included a Nigerian player.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has downsized his initial 48-man squad to 23 ahead of next month's crucial matches against Lesotho and Nigeria on their official X page.
Source: Legit.ng
