Bafana Bafana and Al-Ettifaq FC winger Mohau Nkota has been hit by a devastating injury setback just two weeks before the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nkota’s agency, P Management, confirmed the injury via an Instagram post, which could be the reason why the left-footed attacker has been left out of the Bafana preliminary squad.
On Thursday evening, Broos announced the 32-man squad, and Nkota was a notable absentee, having been part of the team in recent months.
The pacey winger was part of the Bafana Bafana squad that participated in the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, where South Africa fell short in the quarter-final of the tournament.
Nkota also missed the previous Bafana camp as the team played Panama in back-to-back friendlies due to the passing of a family member.
MOHAU NKOTA MISS WORLD CUP SQUAD DUE TO INJURY?
The young attacker became a regular in the Bafana squad after making a move from Orlando Pirates to Al-Ettifaq in July 2025. So far in Saudi Arabia, Nkota has featured in 22 appearances across all competitions, scored two goals, and provided three assists.
Nkota signed with Al-Ettifaq after spending just one season with the Pirates senior team, having gained promotion from the club’s DStv Diski Challenge side at the start of the 2024/25 season. In his first season in the first team at the Sea Robbers, the 21-year-old netted seven goals and chipped in with five assists in 39 matches.
With the 2025/26 season of the Saudi Pro League wrapped, Nkota will use the off-season to recover from injury and return to full fitness in time for pre-season. His agency announced on Instagram that Nkota sustained an injury early this month.
Mohau Nkota sustained an injury during training on the 11th of May 2026. Get well soon,” P Management said, putting to bed all the questions about the exclusion of the Northern Cape-born star from the Bafana squad.
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