Bafana Bafana have reportedly secured an international friendly match against Jamaica to complement their upcoming clash with Nicaragua in the build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Hugo Broos’ men are scheduled to take on Nicaragua at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday before they jet off to Mexico, where they will set base camp in Pachuca. It is a tournament; they will open their Group A campaign against co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 11.
They will then change base to the United States, where they will be in Atlanta for their second group game against the Czech Republic. Returning to Mexico for their final pool match against South Korea, South Africa will now be in Monterrey.
Bafana will be in North America, bidding to reach the World Cup knockouts for the first time ever. Appearances at the 1998 and 2002 editions of the global football showpiece saw them exit at the group stage.
They then hit a new low in 2010, becoming the first hosts to be eliminated in the group stages. Broos now wants his side to arrive at the World Cup well-prepared to enhance their chances of progressing further in the tournament. He announced the Bafana Bafana World Cup squad at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday.
BAFANA BAFANA SECURE ANOTHER FRIENDLY MATCH OPPONENT BEFORE WORLD CUP
Bafana are said to have reached an agreement with another CONCACAF side, Jamaica, to meet at a date and venue yet to be disclosed, and the match is likely to be played in Mexico. The Reggae Boys are currently in England, where they are participating in the Unity Cup involving Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and India.
SAFA vice-president Linda Zwane confirmed that Bafana will play another friendly match before their tournament opener against the Mexicans.
“We have a game here in South Africa on the 29th [of May], and we have another game which we will announce. So, it’s not true that [Bafana will play one game before the World Cup]. Everything we do is on the basis of what the coach requests,” Zwane responded to FARPost at the 34th Ordinary Congress in Boksburg on Sunday.
“If the coach says I’m not interested in playing, we will abide by that because these are the people who know what they are doing, and we have to, as an association, support the coach in whatever he might want to see happening. So, I think that is the position.”
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