Broos Eyes Crucial Wins as Bafana Bafana Chase World Cup Qualification

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos's emphasized the significance of South Africa’s upcoming World cup 2026 qualifiers against Lesotho - Benin. The former African champions will face Lesotho Friday at Peter Mokaba Stadium before traveling to Ivory Coast to take on Benin next Tuesday.

Broos on the Importance of These Matches

“As everybody knows, we've important games in front of us. If we can achieve 2 victorie against Lesotho and Benin, we can make big step towards qualification. Lesotho's team that fights for every ball and playing against South Africa will motivate them even more.” Broos stated

Squad Updates & Key Players

Broos'll be without injured Kaizer Chiefs defender Rushwin Dortley but remains confident in his defensive options with Siyabonga Ngezana and Grant Kekana expected to form the center back partnership.

Young sensation Relebohile Mofokeng, fresh off his match winning brace for Orlando Pirates against Mamelodi Sundowns, is expected to play key role in the upcoming fixtures.

Lesotho’s Fighting Spirit

Lesotho coach Leslie Notsi sees this as golden opportunity for his team

“We know it won’t be easy but we'll give it our all. These games are chance for our players to gain international exposure and prove themselves”

Group C Standings

Bafana Bafana are currently second in Group C with 7 points, level with leaders Rwanda while Lesotho sits in 4th place, just 2 points behind.

Head to Head Record

South Africa's won seven of their 13 encounters against Lesotho with the most recent meeting ending in 4 - 0 victory for Bafana in the 2021 COSAFA cup.

Match Officials

Referees from Djibouti will officiate Friday’s game against Lesotho while Mauritanian officials will handle the Benin clash in Ivory Coast.

Khaled Hegazy |

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Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.