SAFA have clarified the fixture confusion regarding Bafana Bafana's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Nigeria, which was generally believed to be clashing with the Nedbank Cup final.
With Mamelodi Sundowns set to play against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final on 1 June, the generic fixture schedule listed Bafana's encounter against Nigeria on 3 June, which left supporters and some parts of the media wondering how the logistics would be handled.
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However, SAFA spokesperson Mninawa Ntloko has clarified that Bafana have long been scheduled to play against the Super Eagles on 7 June, as per their latest communique.
"We sent out a press release a few weeks ago, stating that Bafana Bafana will play Nigeria on Friday the seventh of June in Nigeria," Ntloko told KickOff.
"The June 3 you see, that is the start of the FIFA date and it ends on the 11th of June, the following week. It's the start of the FIFA week, not the day of the match," Ntloko clarified.
Bafana started their World Cup qualifiers in Group C on a perfect note in November last year after beating Benin 2-1, with Percy Tau and Khuliso Mudau scoring at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
However, Hugo Broos' charges went down 2-0 to Rwanda three days later in Butare and are currently second on the standings with three points, one point behind leaders Wasps and only one ahead of their next opponents, the Super Eagles and Zimbabwe.
South Africa will host the Warriors in a World Cup qualifier after playing against Nigeria, on 11 June at Free State Stadium.
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Bafana will return to Bloemfontein for the first time since the 2010 FIFA World Cup after beating France 2-1 in their last group game.
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