Hugo Broos Set to Reveal Bafana’s World Cup Squad as South Africa Prepares for Historic Return
South African football fans are counting down to a major moment as Hugo Broos prepares to unveil his final South Africa national football team squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Bafana Bafana head coach is expected to announce a largely predictable group of between 23 and 26 players in Pretoria on Wednesday evening, with only a few potential surprises anticipated ahead of the official reveal scheduled for 7:00pm.
The announcement comes just days before the FIFA deadline of 1 June for participating nations to submit their final squads for the global tournament.
Broos already provided a strong indication of his plans when he named a 32-man preliminary squad on Thursday. With the Belgian tactician having maintained a relatively consistent core group throughout the qualification campaign, major changes are considered unlikely.
Attention will instead focus on which fringe players make the final cut and whether any late inclusions emerge ahead of South Africa’s long-awaited return to football’s biggest stage.
The 2026 tournament marks a historic moment for Bafana Bafana, who are set to play in their first FIFA World Cup since hosting the competition in 2010.
Although South Africa participated in that edition automatically as hosts, the team has not qualified through the CAF qualification process since the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan.
Bafana Bafana face a challenging assignment in Group A, where they have been drawn against Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea.
Their opening fixture will immediately throw them into the global spotlight. South Africa begin their campaign against co-hosts Mexico on 11 June at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City – the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The encounter is expected to be one of the most watched games of the tournament’s opening week, with Bafana aiming to make a statement on their return to the world stage.
Broos has restored belief around the national team following an impressive period of progress under his leadership, and expectations are steadily rising ahead of the squad announcement.
With the core of the squad already largely established, supporters are now waiting to see which players will officially earn the opportunity to represent South Africa at the World Cup.
As anticipation builds ahead of Wednesday night’s announcement in Pretoria, one question remains: will Broos stay loyal to the players who guided Bafana to qualification, or could there still be one or two surprise selections before the journey to North America begins?
Hugo Broos Set to Reveal Bafana’s World Cup Squad as South Africa Prepares for Historic Return (Image: SAFA)