Former Bafana Bafana keeper Jackson Mabokgwane has picked his three preferred choices from the four goalkeepers selected in the 2026 FIFA World Cup preliminary squad.
Bafana Bafana are set to jet off to Mexico ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on 11 June. The 2010 hosts will open the tournament against co-hosts Mexico, a repeat of the opening game of the 2010 edition.
Coach Hugo Broos is expected to announce his final 26-man travelling squad on Wednesday, 27 May. He will be joined by President Cyril Ramaphosa and SAFA president Danny Jordaan.
But one of the most debated topics is who Broos will pick as his final three goalkeepers from the four that are in the preliminary squad. Ronwen Williams of Mamelodi Sundowns, Brandon Peterson of Kaizer Chiefs, Ricardo Goss of Siwelele FC and Sipho Chaine of Orlando Pirates will battle for the three spots.
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According to Mabokgwane, Williams and Chaine have done enough to cement a spot in the squad, and Broos will have to leave out either Goss or Peterson.
“It’s between Ricardo Goss and Brandon Peterson, to be honest, so it’s going to be difficult,” Mabokgwane told FARPost.
“It’s honestly going to be difficult. Brandon Peterson has been on form, and remember, he started the season very well for Kaizer Chiefs. But then he was out, and he never played somewhere in the middle of the season.
“Ricardo Goss has been consistent for his country, Siwelele, but in recent weeks conceded a number of goals and also dropped some crucial points.”
“So if the coach is going to consider going with consistency of who has been in the team and the team spirit, performances he has had for the national team, the coach will probably go with Ricardo Goss.”
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“But if he’s going to go with form, he will definitely go with Brandon Peterson. He is the one who’s on form more than Goss at this point.”
“But for me, Ronwen Williams is number one, Sipho Chaine is number two. But I think the coach is going to go with Brandon Peterson for the mere fact that Ronwen has not done so well in the last couple of goals, especially in the League. So you want someone who is also on form.”
“I think he will probably be the only representative from Kaizer Chiefs. But that doesn’t count for much. But Brandon Peterson at this point in time has performed above Ricardo Goss. So as much as I like both goalkeepers, if it were up to me, all four deserve to go there. But my top three will be Williams, Chaine and Peterson.”
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