Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes the pressure lies with Nigeria ahead of their highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday night (21:00) in Uyo.

The match renews the rivalry between the two nations with top spot in Group C on the line after Rwanda’s 1-0 defeat to Benin.

South Africa sits third with three points, one ahead of Nigeria in fourth. Despite travel difficulties arriving at their hotel on Thursday morning, Broos remains confident: “We are ready. We wouldn’t be here otherwise. We believe we can get a positive result.”

Acknowledging Nigeria’s threat, Broos adds, “We know they’re a good team. We played them at AFCON, and I think the result could have gone our way. Both teams are strong.”

However, the Belgian coach emphasizes the pressure on the host nation: “The pressure is on Nigeria to win at home. They can’t afford to drop points in World Cup qualifiers. They need to prove to their fans that their 2023 AFCON success wasn’t a fluke. We made our mark at AFCON, and South Africans believe in Bafana Bafana now.”

Broos’ belief stems from Bafana’s March performance against Algeria: “We have the belief and confidence. We played well against Algeria (3-3), and we can reach that same level and get a good result.”

While acknowledging Nigeria’s impressive run to the 2023 AFCON final where they lost to host nation Ivory Caost, Broos emphasizes a new challenge: “The AFCON game was a great achievement, but it’s over. Friday is a new game. Everyone’s fit, so we have no injury concerns.”

The 2023 AFCON bronze medalists will seek inspiration from their unbeaten record at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, drawing 2-2 in 2014 and winning 2-0 in 2017.

Article by Trevor Magoro