Bafana To Face Benin In Ivory Coast While Lesotho Match’s Tickets Go On Sale
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced that tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match next month are now on sale.
Bafana Bafana will host Lesotho at Peter Mokaba Stadium on 21 March (18:00), coinciding with Human Rights Day in South Africa. Four days later, they will travel to Ivory Coast to face Benin.
SAFA has confirmed that tickets are available through TicketPro, priced at R70.00 for adults and R40.00 for children under the age of 12. The match will be broadcast live on SABC.
Access to the corporate/business 22-seater suite can be arranged by contacting. SAFA, Southern Sun, and Limpopo Tourism will release weekend accommodation packages this week, the association added.
“This is an important year for Bafana Bafana as we have the resumption of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup next month, and we are participating in the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco at the end of the year,” SAFA President Danny Jordaan said.
“Bafana Bafana has not played in Limpopo in a very long time, and it will be special to kick off the year in Polokwane. We want Peter Mokaba Stadium to be buzzing on the day, so we urge the fans to get their tickets and ensure a superb atmosphere inside the stadium.”
This match will be Bafana Bafana’s first appearance in Limpopo since November 2017, when they lost 2-0 to Senegal in a replay of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Benin is unable to play matches at home. Like several other federations on the African continent, they have been barred from hosting home matches due to their venues not meeting CAF standards.
Sources have informed Sportswire that Bafana Bafana’s team manager, Vincent Tseka, is already in Ivory Coast as an advance party to inspect venues, training facilities, and hotels, aiming to prevent any unforeseen issues for the national team.
Benin, who will also face Zimbabwe at Moses Mabhida Stadium in South Africa on 17 March, have played their home matches in Ivory Coast since the World Cup qualifiers began in 2023.
Similarly, Zimbabwe has played all their World Cup and 2025 AFCON qualifiers in South Africa due to their facilities not meeting CAF standards.
Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana are currently second in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers with seven points after four matches, level with group leaders Rwanda and third-placed Benin. Lesotho is fourth with five points, followed by Nigeria with three points. Zimbabwe is at the bottom of the group with two points.
