November 18, (THEWILL) – The South African men’s national football team will be looking to capitalise on rivals Nigeria’s surprise draw against Lesotho when they kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Benin on Saturday.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will be hoping his side can pick up three points at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban after Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by Lesotho in Uyo on Thursday. The result for the highly-ranked Super Eagles came as a shock across Africa, and offered Bafana Bafana renewed hope of topping Group C and securing automatic qualification for the 48-team 2026 finals.
Broos’ charges simply need to pick up positive results at home and away against Benin, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Rwanda to give themselves the best possible chance of finishing first in the group. The opener against Benin, currently ranked 93rd in the world, represents an excellent opportunity to get off to a winning start.
Bafana Bafana’s task was also aided by Rwanda being held to a 0-0 draw by Zimbabwe in another Group C fixture on Wednesday. A victory over Benin on Saturday would put the South Africans top of the standings after the opening matches. “It will be important that we have a good start,” said Broos, who has lost just three of his 21 games in charge of the national team. “We have to have the right mentality from the beginning.”
The top nation in each group will qualify automatically for the expanded World Cup finals, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. Bafana Bafana have not appeared on football’s biggest stage since 2002 but will be hoping this latest qualifying campaign brings about a change in fortunes.
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.
