Tough calls and painful omissions shaped Broos’ final Bafana World Cup squad

After selecting his final 2026 World Cup squad, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos opened up on the emotions and struggles that come with choosing such a team before such a major tournament. Broos initially selected a 32-player group. However, he had to trim it down to 26.

At a press conference held in Sandton the day after his squad selection, which he made on 27 May, Broos explained some of the reasoning behind his choices. The Belgian tactician said that the pursuit of balance was one the driving factors in how he had chosen to stack his cards as SA returns to the global stage for the first time in almost two decades.

“Helman [Mkhalele, assistant coach] and I had to make some difficult decisions,” Broos told journalists. “But I am excited, just like the 26 chosen players and the technical staff. In football, the World Cup is the biggest tournament and the highest level that you compete in as a coach and as a player. Especially because it’s so long ago that SA was present at the tournament.”

The chosen ones

The squad is headlined by Mamelodi Sundowns superstars such as Ronwen Williams, Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau. There was also room for the Brazilians’ veteran attacking midfielder Themba Zwane.

Uncapped defenders Olwethu Makhanya and Bradley Cross made the cut. Centre-back Makhanya plays his soccer for Major Soccer League side Philadelphia Union, while fullback Cross is part of Kaizer Chiefs.

There are also Orlando Pirates players such as Relebohile Mofokeng, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Tshepang Moremi and Oswin Appollis.

“I am confident because I’ve been here for five years and I’ve always been assured in my choices. This time it’s no different. These players have the talent to achieve a big result in the World Cup, even though it won’t be easy,” the 74-year-old said.

From three previous World Cup appearances, Bafana Bafana have yet to reach the knockout round. This is a major target for the team, which will be boosted by the fact that eight teams that are deemed the best third-place finishers will qualify for the round of 32.

This is one of the perks of the World Cup being expanded to 48 countries for this 2026 edition and beyond. Previously only 32 countries participated, with the subsequent knockout phase featuring 16 teams.

Knockout ambitions

Grouped with tournament co-hosts Mexico, as well as South Korea and Czechia, Broos’ troops are targeting a minimum of three points from these battles to ensure they have some chance of moving out of Group A. Of course, it will be a daunting task, but Broos said that having players from newly crowned South African champions Pirates, and 2026 African champions Sundowns, would be a major boost for his dressing room.

“It’s very important. We can say we have players from the best Premiership team of the season. They are champions. Then the Champions League winners from Sundowns. That side of football is very important. Those guys have a lot of experience at a high level, as well as playing under pressure. Having those players in your team helps a lot,” Broos stated.

Unfortunate Petersen

One of the players from the original 32 who was unfortunate to miss out is Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen. With Williams being the undisputed first choice in goal for SA under Broos, the battle for the two remaining spots was always set be between Petersen, Pirates’ Sipho Chaine and Siwelele’s Ricardo Goss.

The Bafana Bafana boss opted for the latter two, who have also featured heavily in the overall national team ecosystem under his tutelage. Until recently, Petersen was on the outside looking in. But he played a pivotal part in helping Amakhosi finish third in the 2025/26 season, the team’s best league placing in six years.

“I don’t know Brandon as a human being. So, the few days he was with us were not enough to know him. [Things such as] how he will react when he does not play, or his reaction to whatever else. That made me choose not to take him. It’s not a question of quality. It’s just integration, which is very important,” said the Belgian coach.

Pirates’ Patrick Maswanganyi, as well as Chiefs duo Lebohang Maboe and Thabiso Monyane, plus Thapelo Morena (Sundowns) and Durban City’s Brooklyn Poggenpoel were the other players to be omitted.

“It’s not my heart that decides. It’s always my brain,” Broos explained. “I told the players that the decisions I have to make won’t be easy. With such things there is always an emotional side, even for the coach. Don’t think that it’s as easy as having a paper in front of you and you just start writing the names. There is always an emotional side, but I told the players that they have to understand my side.

“Those are decisions you have to make, and decisions are sometimes hard. But you do it for the team, you try to have your best team. We will know [whether I made the right choices] the moment we come back from the World Cup. But I believe these are the right choices,” he said.

The former Belgium defender conceded that the results that Bafana Bafana achieve at the World Cup, which runs from 11 June to 19 July, will be the ultimate barometer when it comes to judging whether his choices are the correct ones. DM