Orlando Pirates midfielder Sipho Mbule and Stellenbosch FC defender Thabo Moloisane have received late call-ups for Bafana Bafana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria this month.
Hugo Broos‘ charges will take on neighbours Lesotho away from home at the Free State Stadium on Friday, 5 September. The game will kick off at 18:00.
South Africa will then welcome Nigeria at the same venue on Tuesday, 9 September. This crunch showdown will also start at 18:00.
Bafana assembled for camp on Monday, 1 September in Soweto. The side had their first training session this afternoon at Dobsonville Stadium.
WHY THABO MOLOISANE AND SIPHO MBULE GOT A LATE BAFANA BAFANA CALL-UPS
The talented centre-back, Moloisane, replaces the injured Ime Okon, who plays for the German side, Hannover 96.
Okon is reportedly suffering from a muscle injury. He suffered an injury setback over the weekend during their 2-1 win over Holstein Kiel in a league match. He was replaced in the 77th minute of the contest by Hendry Blank. The 21-year-old, Okon, is expected to return to action in mid-September 2025.
Meanwhile, Mbule has been called up to the national team squad to replace his fellow teammate Patrick ‘Tito’ Maswanganyi, who also sustained an injury.
HUGO BROOS ADDRESSES BAFANA BAFANA INJURIES ISSUES
“This is one of the most difficult preparations I have had since I became the coach of Bafana Bafana. We have a lot of injuries to important players. First of all, Nkosinathi Sibisi is not here because of an injury, and Themba Zwane, who was playing, is also injured.
“Again, Sphephelo Sithole played his first game this weekend, but he’s still not fully fit. Deano David van Rooyen and Grant Kekana are also not here. Today, we had to tell Maswanganyi to go home after his injury yesterday. The reason we made that decision is that we don’t have any guarantee that Tito will be ready for the game on Friday.
“It’s very difficult to work with a national team, where you only have three or four days to prepare for a game. It’s easier when you are with a club. A club has five to six weeks to prepare and hold training sessions. This way, everyone gets to know what the coach wants. This is different; we have to do it in three or four days. I think the decision is right. I have to tell Tito to go home because we can’t take that risk. His replacement is Sipho Mbule.”
Bafana are currently placed top in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers with 13 points from six outings.
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