Broos Announces Bafana Prelim Squad For June Friendly matches

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has announced a preliminary squad for two international friendly matches in June.

As announced by Sportswire in April, Bafana Bafana will play home games against Tanzania on 6 June and Namibia four days later. Sportswire has learned that one of these matches might be held at Moses Mabhida Stadium, with discussions currently underway.

The preliminary squad includes experienced campaigners such as Fawaaz Basadien, Relebohile Mofokeng, Patric Maswanganyi, Sipho Chaine, Mbekezelo Mbokazi, Thabo Moloisane, Yanela Mbuthuma, and Puso Dithejane. Coach Broos will trim this squad to a more manageable 21 players in the coming days.

Notably, no Mamelodi Sundowns players are in the squad, as they will be participating in the FIFA Club World Cup next month.

The June international calendar is reserved for friendly games in the CAF zone, with the FIFA World Cup qualifiers set to resume in September and October.

Following these two friendly matches, Bafana Bafana, who currently lead their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group, will face Lesotho (away) on September 5 and Nigeria (at home) four days later.

Their final two FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be against Zimbabwe (away) on October 10 and Rwanda (at home). However, the “away” matches against Lesotho in September and Zimbabwe in October are scheduled to be played in South Africa, as both nations’ stadiums do not meet CAF and FIFA requirements and are currently banned.

SAFA has also scheduled a friendly match for Bafana Bafana on November 15, with the opponent yet to be announced.

After that, Bafana Bafana will begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco, facing Angola on December 22, followed by Egypt on December 26. They will conclude their AFCON group stage matches against Zimbabwe on December 29. The team will be aiming for strong performances to reach the AFCON knockout stages.