Polokwane City FC star Thabang Matuludi has opened up on his competition with Khuliso Mudau at Bafana Bafana, having made the cut to Hugo Broos’ final 25-man squad for the upcoming AFCON tournament.
The CAF 2025 AFCON competition will take place in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. Bafana are drawn in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola, and neighbours Zimbabwe.
Matuludi has been on the sidelines after suffering an injury blow on the 17th of January 2025 against the now-defunct SuperSport United in the Betway Premiership last season.
However, the Limpopo-born defender made his comeback against Golden Arrows in a league tie on 17 September at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. The Rise and Shine went on to win the match 2-1.
His coach, Phuti Mohafe, made a daring claim about Matuludi, praising his talent following a series of impressive performances since his comeback from a prolonged injury absence.
Mohafe cited that the talented defender ranks among the top three, and potentially the second-best right-back in South African football. โIโm not even surprised that heโs in the Bafana Bafana squad after a long injury. The boy is working hard, and heโs giving us another dimension that takes us to another level. Heโs a good player. As I have said before, heโs number three in our league, if not number two [as a right-back],โ said the PLK City coach.
Currently, the 26-year-old has made 10 appearances for PLK City since his return from injury. He also found the back of the net on one occasion.
Following his impressive performances, Matuludi was selected for the Bafana squad to face Zimbabwe and Rwanda in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, marking his first call-up to the national team.
THABANG MATULUDI DESCRIBES HIS COMPETITION WITH KHULISO MUDAU AS A HEALTHY COMPETITION
Matuludi expressed that his rivalry with Mudau is beneficial, citing that it motivates him to grow as an individual and improve his game.
“The competition between Khuliso Mudau and me motivates me a lot. This is because I will be learning from someone who is focused and has been in the squad for quite some time,” said Matuludi in an exclusive interview with FARPost.
“But I’m very happy to be part of the final 25-man Bafana Bafana squad. Obviously, it is something that is difficult to achieve. But in the end, I managed to achieve it.
“This opportunity will help me grow as a player moving forward. I will be able to gain experience from the biggest stage, like AFCON, and add it to my club-level experience.”
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