Head coach Hugo Broos has assured South Africans that Bafana Bafana boasts a better team and stands a better chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup than two years ago.
Bafana are looking to make their first return to the World Cup stage since hosting the prestigious tournament in 2010.
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However, this time, Broos' side will have to qualify. The last time Bafana qualified outright for the world cup was in 2002 but having successfully qualified for the 2023 African Cup of Nations, Broos is confident of similar fortunes in the world cup qualifications
In the draw for the qualifiers, South Africa has been pinned against Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho in Group C.
"I think it has to be possible for South Africa to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as first in the group," Broos said in response to the draw.
"If you see the progression we've made in the last two years you can't compare these qualifiers with the qualifier for the qualifiers for [the] Qatar [world cup] two years ago. We are better now. We have a better team now.
Bafana Bafana go top of Group K with a 2-1 win over the No.1 ranked team on the continent.Zakhele Lepasa netted the winner in this #TotalEnergiesAFCONQ2023 clash ? pic.twitter.com/n1r5Zmn8Bl
— SuperSport Football ?? (@SSFootball) June 17, 2023
"So I'm confident. Although I know that the games are yet to be played [but] this will be the next step in our progression that those difficult away games, against those, not the best teams in Africa, like Zimbabwe, Lesotho Benin, we have to try and try to win as many points as possible win those games and because those victories will be the difference between who is first (on top of the group).
"I think it will be a battle between Nigeria and us."
The qualifiers will kick off in November 2023. Nine group winners qualify for World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States while the best four group runners-up enter play-offs and the winning team qualify for the inter-confederation tournament in March 2026.
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