November 18, (THEWILL) – South Africa began their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Benin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday. Goals from Percy Tau and Khuliso Mudau saw Hugo Broos’ side claim an opening three points in Group C.
Tau opened the scoring for Bafana Bafana after just two minutes, squeezing in an effort after good build-up play from Aubrey Modiba and Sphephelo Sithole. The hosts dominated proceedings but had to wait until first-half stoppage time to double their advantage, with Mudau volleying home after Tau and Themba Zwane combined to open up the Benin defence.
The Cheetahs pulled a goal back through Steve Mounie after 70 minutes to set up a nervy finale, but South Africa held on to make a winning start on the road to the 2026 finals in North America. The victory sees Bafana Bafana top Group C after the opening round of matches.
Broos was pleased with his side’s performance but knows there is still considerable work to be done in qualifying. It will be unwise to get carried away after just one game but Bafana Bafana displayed impressive football with room for improvement when they looked vulnerable late on.
South Africa and Benin will be back in World Cup qualifying action on Tuesday when Bafana Bafana travel to Rwanda and the Cheetahs host Lesotho. Broos will be targeting another three points to build early momentum in the World Cup race.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
