It is the kind of test that this team needs to pass — preferably with flying colours — to demonstrate to South Africans that they really deserve to be taken seriously. I am talking about the draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup to be played in Canada, Mexico and the US.
Bafana Bafana’s pursuit for a ticket to the global quadrennial football festival should prove not to be an arduous task. Of the five nations in Group C, only Nigeria poses a serious threat.
It is no disrespect to expect Bafana not to lose to Benin, Rwanda, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Call it conceit if you care. But if they cannot get positive results, Bafana may well close shop and try marbles and kopi dice as their new sporting codes.
The rankings tell the story — Fifa (and Caf): Lesotho 152 (46), Rwanda 138 (40), Zimbabwe 124 (33), Benin 93 (20). Nigeria sit on sixth spot in Caf and 39 in the world, while South Africa are ranked 63 by Fifa and are in position 12 in Africa.
Only the top finishers of the nine African groups will gain automatic qualification for the World Cup, which has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams. Africa will get 10 representatives in North America if one of the four best placed nations from the nine groups emerges victorious in an inter-continental playoff.
It is no disrespect to expect Bafana not to lose to Benin, Rwanda, Lesotho and Zimbabwe
There is no two ways about it — Bafana must be among the successful nine.
When the qualifying business begins in November, Bafana need to envelope themselves in astounding arrogance, a character trait their boss Hugo Broos has in abundance.
Traces of that unwavering self-belief shone through their last performance against strong World Cup semifinalists Morocco. For most, it served as a consequential reminder that they can raise their game to a convincing competitive standard, when their spirit so moves them.
In the terraces, there was sincere goodwill when Bafana played in front of a crowd north of 50,000. They produced the most polished performance under Broos. By a long mile, that display sent a strong signal that this team was tired of being taunted as perennial underachievers, a dubious distinction whose art they have mastered with immaculate ease over the years.
Playing with that passion is a surefire way to reignite the belief in them, and revive the romance with the long-suffering supporters. It reminded us that these boys can kick ball.
The challenge with Bafana is that you never know which face they will show when they next go into battle. The four lowly ranked countries in our group should not be much of a hindrance. They are potential banana skins, which Bafana must guard against.
In all honesty, Nigeria are the only opponents with the capacity to create nail-biting and bum squeaking moments for Broos and his boys. But they are not the great shakes of previous years.
There have been some positives along the way, as Broos attempts to breathe life back into Bafana. Forward Percy Tau is flourishing in Egypt, and has a decisive influence as a scorer and creator of goals for Al Ahly. Midfielder Njabulo Blom is blossoming at St Louis City in his new environment in the Major League Soccer.
Striker Lyle Foster has made the major step to the English Premier League with the promotion of Burnley. With two goals in five caps, Mihlali Mayambela — who turns out for Aris Limassol — is making it difficult for Broos to ignore him.
It is up to this team to tell us they have it in them to follow in the footsteps of Banyana Banyana by qualifying for the World Cup.
The Cosafa Cup, which concludes in Durban this afternoon, would have been a great opportunity for Broos to blood players on the fringes of Bafana. But the timing of the regional tournament clashes with DStv Premiership players returning to base for pre-season preparations.
While the World Cup is the goal, there is the small matter of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in January. Safa must make sure they line up proper matches to get Bafana into gear. Over to you Bafana, 2026 is calling.
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