2 October 2025 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named his final squad for the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda this month.
Broos’ charges will be away to Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in the first FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday, 10 October 2025. The South African senior men’s national team will then host Rwanda in the last qualifier at the Mbombela Stadium, in Mpumalanga, on Tuesday, 14 October 2025. Both matches will be played at 18h00.
Broos said the team is fully focused on the two matches and has put the ruling by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee a few days ago behind them. The Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for erroneously fielding midfielder Teboho Mokoena during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Lesotho played on 21 March 2025. The Bafana Bafana coach said the team will not need any motivation at the Moses Mabhida and Mbombela Stadiums.
“It is an extra motivation for me, and I will try to transfer it to the group (the whole team), even though I know that I do not have to because they will be ready for these two games,” he said.
The team will assemble in Roodepoort on Monday, 6 October 2025 but remain in Johannesburg until Thursday. They will travel to Durban on Thursday morning ahead of Friday night’s match against Zimbabwe. Broos’ charges will then fly to Mbombela on Saturday morning to prepare for Tuesday’s final showdown against Rwanda.
The Belgian urged the supporters to come out in numbers and ensure full houses at the Moses Mabhida and Mbombela Stadiums. The Bafana Bafana coach said the team needs the 12th man in the stands to ensure that the players feel the love from all South Africans during this final lap of the qualifiers.
Tickets to both matches are available at Ticketpro. SAFA has also made hospitality tickets available for the final qualifier in Mbombela.
The link is below.
Tickets for South Africa vs Rwanda | Ticketpro
Fans can also get all the Bafana Bafana merchandise at the new SAFA online shop. The link is below.
South African Football: Bafana Bafana famously beat Brazil 1-0 in 1996 during the Nelson Mandela Challenge.
Legacy
The longest cricket match occurred in 1939 between South Africa and England. The game lasted for 14 days and ended in a draw.
Dark Matter
Viv Richards played both cricket and football world cups.