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Nkota’s Bafana World Cup dream alive, relishes reunion with Mexican star

Michael Madyira

April 16, 2026
8:38 am

Mohau Nkota: Picture by CAFOnline

Bafana Bafana and Al-Ettifaq Club winger Mohau Nkota is not giving up on his dream to play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after missing out on the March camp.

South Africa coach Hugo Broos is finalising his squad for the quadrennial football tournament, which is now two months away. They are in Group A, where they will face co-hosts Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea.

It is a highly anticipated mission for Bafana, who last featured at the World Cup in 2010, where they carved an unwanted record as the first hosts to fail to advance past the group stage. Broos will be out to make history by guiding the 1996 African champions to the knockouts for the first time.

After appearing in the preliminary squad for the international friendlies against Panama, Nkota did not make the final selection. Broos said the wideman asked to be excused.

But with competition for places to go to the World Cup getting stiffer, Nkota’s absence from the Panama matches could prove disadvantageous. His situation could worsen because he has not been a regular at his Saudi Pro League club, Al Ettifaq.

However, Mohau Nkota returned to the starting line-up for Al-Ettifaq on Wednesday night, playing almost 90 minutes in a narrow 1-0 league defeat against Al-Nassr. The South African youngster shared the pitch with a star-studded cast including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Joao Felix, Kingsley Coman, and Marcelo Brozović.

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Mohau Nkota [L]: Picture by Saudi Pro League

Nkota, who made two appearances at the 2025 AFCON finals, is hoping to make Bafana’s World Cup squad. He is also relishing coming up against Mexico forward Julian Quinones of Al Qadsiah, whom he has already played against twice in the Saudi Pro League.

“For me, it’s going to be a very good game. Playing against [Quinones] in the league and then playing against him in the World Cup. It’s going to be a lot easier for me having gotten to know him – how he plays in the league and then in the World Cup,” said Nkota.

“We have a very good team; we have a lot of quality. I believe it’s achievable for us to go to the next round [of the World Cup].

“Going to the World Cup, we want to make it a dream. We want people to remember what we left at the World Cup. We want to make sure that we leave a mark, make sure we play our best. And then we hope that something good will come.”

Michael Madyira

Senior journalist

Michael Madyira: The Veteran Voice of African Football Michael Madyira is a seasoned and award-winning sports journalist currently serving as a senior soccer writer for FARPost. With a career spanning over a decade, Madyira has established himself as a definitive authority on African football, bringing a wealth of international experience and analytical depth to the South African media landscape. Before joining FARPost in late 2025, Madyira built a formidable reputation as a core correspondent for the global football giant, Goal.com. During his extensive tenure there, he was instrumental in covering the Premier Soccer League (PSL), CAF Inter-Club competitions, and national team tournaments. His work is celebrated for bridging the gap between local insights and global standards, making him a trusted source for breaking news and tactical analysis on giants like Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, and Orlando Pirates. Madyira’s excellence has been recognized on multiple platforms. Most notably, he was named the 2013 Zimbabwe Sports Journalist of the Year, an accolade that highlighted his exceptional reporting skills early in his career. His expertise extends beyond football; he was selected as a voting panelist for the prestigious 2013/14 International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards, underscoring his standing across sporting codes. His journey into sports media is one of passion and resilience. Originally an aspiring professional footballer, Madyira transitioned to journalism after realizing his talents lay in documenting the game rather than playing it. He initially cut his teeth as an all-rounder, covering politics, crime, and the courts, a background that gifted him with a sharp eye for detail and investigative rigour. Today, at FARPost, he continues to chronicle the “beautiful game,” driven by the belief that writing about football is the dream he is privileged to live.