‘I won’t change even if we play bad’: Broos’ bold stance on World Cup squad

Bafana Bafana. Picture courtesy of Bafana Bafana/X

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has made a bold declaration about the squad that will be selected for the FIFA World Cup, revealing that he won’t make changes even if the team doesn’t produce an impressive performance against Panama.

Bafana will host Panama in the second international friendly at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, looking to close off the FIFA break with a morale-boosting victory.

South Africa is aiming for an improved performance against Panama after playing out to a 1-1 draw against the same opponent last Friday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. The away side opened the scoring in the first-half before Orlando Pirates star Oswin Appollis scored an equaliser in the second stanza.

Bafana are eager to return to winning ways as they prepare for the upcoming FIFA World Cup held in Canada, Mexico, and the USA between June and July 2026. After Bafana’s disappointing showing in the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco, they will be eyeing a historical run in the global showpiece and possibly make it to the knockout stage for the first time.

WHAT HUGO BROOS SAID ABOUT BAFANA’S WORLD CUP SQUAD

Hugo Broos. Picture courtesy of Bafana Bafana/X

Speaking in the Mother City on Tuesday, Broos has given a hint that his squad that will travel to the World Cup is almost finalised, stating that he will not make drastic changes to the team if the performance against Panama is not convincing.

“First of all, let’s say 70% of the selection is already in my head. Everything will also depend on the shape of the players, maybe in the next few weeks, some will not play anymore in their teams or have injuries,” Broos said.

“But 75% of the team that I have to select is already in my head, I will not change, even if we play a bad game [against Panama]. There are still positions that I want to see in the next few weeks before I make my choice.

“On the other side, we had a good game on Friday, and let’s hope we can confirm that again tomorrow, but there’s still some work to do because we are going to the World Cup, and this is something different.”