Broos welcomes competition for places

by Staff Reporter

Thursday Jun 12, 2025. 10:57

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos admits he has some difficult choices to make for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in September after being impressed with the performance of the players who featured against Mozambique on Tuesday.

Broos made wholesale changes to the team that played out to a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Tanzania on June 6 as the likes of Mohau Nkota, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Samukelo Kabini and Yanela Mbuthuma were handed their senior debuts for South Africa.

Second-half goals from Sinoxolo Kwayiba (47′) and Ashley Cupido (70′) secured a 2-0 win for the hosts at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, leaving Broos pleased with the cohesion on display from a group who had not played together before.

The Belgian has been presented with a selection dilemma when next he names his squad for the crunch Group C encounters against Lesotho and Nigeria later this year and he believes the competition for places will motivate the established stars in the team to raise their game even higher.

“I think we showed a very good game of Bafana Bafana today, there was a lot of pressure on the opponent, [which is] what we asked [for], and we created a lot of chances,” Broos said.

“We played good football, there was depth in the way we played, and sometimes we kept the ball [well], so I think it was a fantastic game, for me, with a group of players who didn’t play together before we started this camp.”

Commenting on the depth in the national team, he added: “When you see that we have 23 players there [at the COSAFA Cup], you know that there are still maybe also 23 who are still with their clubs or at home, so that [enables] you to choose now [from over] 40 players.

“And this will be difficult because we’ll have to drop players in September – players who perhaps deserved it, but okay, I have to make choices.

“But it also means that players will be more motivated also because they know that there are guys behind them who are waiting to take their place, and that will bring the level higher.”