The South African Football Association [SAFA] have announced two planned international friendly matches for Bafana Bafana as part of the preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted in Canada, Mexico and the USA from 11 June until 19 July 2026.
South Africa has been drawn in group A alongside co-hosts Mexico, South Korea, and a yet to be decided nation that will be determined through the playoffs. The opponent will come from the winner of UEFA Playoff D [Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland, Denmark or North Macedonia].
This is South Africa’s first World Cup since their participation in 2010 as hosts. SAFA has now announced that the Hugo Broos-led side will face the Central American nation Panama during the March International FIFA break.
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“Panama, currently ranked 33rd in the world, were considered to provide high-quality opposition,” said SAFA in a statement.
“The Central American side offers a competitive, physical and tactically disciplined test that aligns closely with the level Bafana Bafana will face at the FIFA World Cup.
“The matches form a critical component of head coach Hugo Broos’s build-up programme ahead of the global tournament, which will be hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026.”
DETAILS REGARDING THE FIFA WORLD CUP TICKETS TO BE REVEALED SOON
Meanwhile, SAFA says they will confirm match venues, kick-off times and ticketing information for the World Cup in the coming days.
South Africa will start their World Cup preparations after what many felt was a disappointing display at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. They were eliminated in the last 16 stage of the tournament after a 2-1 defeat to Cameroon.
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