Four decades after playing in Mexico, Hugo Broos returns as Bafana Bafana coach for the ultimate opening-night test against El Tri at the Estadio Azteca. Photo: Backpagepix
While Bafana Bafana’s third-place finish at the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast is still fresh in the memory, the team is now focused on a monumental challenge. Sixteen years since they last faced France, Bafana are set to play their most important game on Thursday night in nearly two decades.
Bafana will face Mexico in the opening game of the 2026 global showpiece at Estadio Azteca (kick-off 9pm) in a symbolic match marks a repeat of their 2010 World Cup group-stage clash in South Africa, exactly 16 years ago to the day.
Unlike the 2010 tournament, where Bafana entered their final group game against France needing a decisive victory to qualify, the team now finds themselves back on the global stage with a chance to either 'soar or crawl'.
Bafana are determined to prove to the masses that their progress over the last five years under coach Hugo Broos has been no a fluke, but a defining period that has changed South African football forever.
