Kenya national team head coach and Bafana Bafana’s all-time top goalscorer, Benni McCarthy, has shared an honest take on how South Africa could perform at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Bafana Bafana are gearing up for the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the USA this June and July. This marks South Africa’s first successful qualification for the global showpiece since the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Following their 2002 appearance, South Africa participated in the 2010 tournament as hosts—the first-ever World Cup staged on the African continent. However, in every edition Bafana has contested, including their 1998 debut, they have been eliminated in the group stages and are yet to reach the knockout rounds of the prestigious competition.
“Aiming for a historic showing, head coach Hugo Broos has announced a preliminary squad for two friendlies against Panama, scheduled for later this month at Moses Mabhida Stadium [27 March] and DHL Stadium [31 March].
Among the notable inclusions, Broos has recalled Jayden Adams, Iqraam Rayners, Themba Zwane, Thapelo Maseko, and Luke Le Roux, all of whom missed out on the AFCON squad in Morocco earlier this year. He is set to announce the final squad for the Panama friendlies this coming Thursday during the FIFA international break.
WHAT McCARTHY SAID ABOUT BAFANA’S CHANCES AT THE WORLD CUP
Former Bafana star Benni McCarthy has given a candid assessment of the 1996 AFCON champions, stating that the team stands a good chance of doing well at the World Cup.
The retired striker, who is the all-time Bafana scorer with 31 goals, was the player who scored the first-ever goal for South Africa in the World Cup in 1998 against Denmark.
“Listen, I think we can do it, man. We have a world-class coach, the first coach to help us qualify for the AFCON [in a long time] and took us to the semi-final [in 2023] and qualified for the World Cup,” McCarthy said.
“So, he came with a pedigree [having won AFCON with Cameroon], and he has proven it. So, we have a good team, a world-class coach, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns as the winning teams fighting for the title [Betway Premiership]. Hopefully, this goes to the wire.
“With those two teams, how can we go wrong? I’m pure South African, and I’m optimistic. A lot of people think I’m sceptical because I’m not the coach of Bafana, but when we don’t have success, it hurts me as much as it hurts every single one of you. We were all born in this country, and we feel it more than anyone else.
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