BAFANA Bafana players led by captain Ronwen Williams receiving their farewells from South African president Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings on Wednesday night.
NOW that the Bafana Bafana's 2026 Fifa World Cup-bound squad has been announced, it is safe to say that the sideshows are over, and it is time for coach Hugo Broos to intensify his preparations.
In my book, that starts with a deep look into Group A, where the South Africans will be mixing it up with North American co-hosts Mexico, Asia's South Korea, and Europe's Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic).
On paper, all three nations are better than Bafana, and that is supported by their Fifa World Rankings; Mexico are the top-ranked side at 15th, Korea come in at 25th, with Czechia running at 41st. Broos’ men are 60th.
On Thursday morning, I came across an online article that challenged South Africa’s status in Group A. In fact, the article did more than challenge South Africa’s status; it actually labelled them the whipping boys of Group A, and that conclusion was based on exactly that — South Africa’s World Ranking of 60th.
