Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has included Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners in his Bafana Bafana preliminary squad for the World Cup.Rayners is the second-highest scorer in the Betway Premiership and the top South African with 12 goals, but has strangely been overlooked by Broos this year.His absence from the line-up that disappointed going out in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in December and January raised eyebrows.With centre-forward Lyle Foster blowing hot and cold for the national team and only scoring three goals in 24 Premier League games as Burnley were relegated, many pundits have called for Rayners’ inclusion for the World Cup.Another notable inclusion was that of unheralded 26-year-old defensive midfielder Brooklyn Poggenpoel of recently crowned Nedbank Cup champions Durban City.Broos will name his final squad of 23-26 players on Wednesday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria with President Cyril Ramaphosa present, two days before Bafana meet Nicaragua in a World Cup warm-up at Orlando Stadium next week Friday (6pm).The South African squad departs for Mexico on May 31.Bafana play the opening game of the World Cup against co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.Bafana Bafana 2026 World Cup preliminary squad: Bafana Bafana's preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup. (Safa Media) (Safa media)