7 September 2025 – Lyle Foster will be hoping for a belated birthday present when Bafana Bafana host Nigeria in a highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday night.
Foster celebrated his birthday in camp a few days ago and he insisted that Bafana Bafana are not under any pressure as they head to the crunch qualifier against their long-time rivals.
Coach Hugo Broos’ charges will go into this encounter on the back of a tough victory against Lesotho (3-0) at the Free State Stadium on Friday night, while the Super Eagles beat Rwanda 1-0 at home on Saturday.
“I don’t necessarily think there’s pressure on us. I think at the moment we are where we are in the group and that’s a positive,” said Foster. “I think pressure is on the guys who are trying to get to us, but that doesn’t mean we should take our foot off the gas or take our foot off the pedal.
“I think that we should just have the same mentality still and keep steady, keep playing game by game, staying humble and just like I said, taking the game as it comes. I don’t necessarily think there’s pressure. I think the pressure is on those who are trying to get to us. I think we’ve had a good start, but the most important thing is trying to push forward and make sure that we seal it.”
Leaders Bafana Bafana remain top of Group C with 16 points after seven matches, while the Nigerians are third with 10 points from the same number of games.
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