By Mahlatse Mphahlele in Pachuca The stars have aligned beautifully for attacking midfielder Thapelo Maseko as he finds himself with Bafana Bafana at the 2026 Fifa World Cup after falling in love with the game again in Cyprus. Several injuries led to him falling down the pecking order at star-studded Mamelodi Sundowns where coach Miguel Cardoso had enough options on the bench. When he was fit, it was hard to break into the team and lack of regular game time saw him miss out on what could have been his second Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) appearance in Morocco. A loan move to Cyprus League top flight side AEL Limassol was negotiated and it turned out to be the turning point of his career as he got time on the pitch and fell in love with the game again. If it was not for that move to Cyprus, where he has been producing impressive performances, Maseko would not be at this World Cup where he may well play a crucial part for Bafana. He did not get minutes in the 2-0 loss to Mexico at the Azteca Stadium last week but a change of plan and formation by coach Hugo Broos may benefit Maseko on the left side. While in the wilderness, Broos used Mohau Nkota, who was ruled out of this tournament due to injury, and Tshepang Moremi who is back to force his way back into the team. If Broos decides to go with traditional wingers against Czechia, he may opt for Maseko on the left wing as a surprise package because the Europeans are probably expecting Moremi to start. “It was a difficult spell for me with the injury but it is part of things you go through in football,” he said at the team’s hotel as Bafana prepared for the trip to Atlanta, Georgia. “There are highs and lows, the lows are painful and the highs are incredible. I am just happy to be in a situation I am in now and back with the national team.” Asked how he remained motivated during injury nightmares, Maseko said he relied on family support. “It depends on the individual, but I had family support and I also went through a couple of therapy sessions and they helped me a lot.” Some people were dismissive when he went to Cyprus, but Maseko said the league is competitive. “It is a good league with top teams and top players. It’s just unfortunate that it doesn’t get the coverage and respect it deserves. My club [AEL Limassol] is massive in the country. “Some of the teams play in the Europa and Conference Leagues.” When he arrived in Cyprus, Maseko had a soft landing as he found South African attacker Luther Singh at the club, who helped him to settle down in a different environment. “He has been there for me. I spent a lot of time with Luther and we have been talking about a lot of stuff. He is someone who has experience in the league and he told me to be myself, play my game and things will fall into place.” Bafana are in a tricky situation going into the Czechia match and if he gets a chance in Atlanta, you can bet your last dollar that he is going to take it with both hands. This is because he wants to help the team progress to the last 32 of the World Cup and make up for lost time.