No Nkota And Mbule For World Cup Preliminary

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has announced an expansive 32-man preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, loaded with calculated gambles and heavy tactical exclusions.

The provisional roster includes four goalkeepers, while Al-Ettifaq’s teenage sensation Mohau Nkota is not included.

Orlando Pirates midfielder Sipho Mbule has been decisively dropped from the selection entirely. Insiders previously indicated that Broos was thoroughly unsatisfied with the player’s application, disciplinary record, and overall performance during South Africa’s disappointing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign earlier this year.

The Road to the Union Buildings Cut

Broos will officially trim the 32-man roster down to a lean, final 26-man tournament squad at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday, 27 May. Six players face the axe as the technical team prepares to finalize traveling logistics for North America.

South Africa will be participating in their fourth FIFA World Cup, desperately searching for their first-ever passage into the knockout rounds.

Group A: A Historic Clash Reborn

Bafana Bafana face a demanding schedule in Group A. They officially open the global showpiece against co-hosts Mexico on 11 June. The high-stakes encounter directly mirrors the legendary 2010 World Cup opening match at the FNB Stadium.

The tournament runs from 11 June until 19 July, co-hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. South Korea, who finalized a devastatingly strong squad selection on Wednesday, alongside an organized Czech Republic side, present massive physical hurdles for Broos’s men as they hunt structural history on the global stage