Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has revealed what he told in-form Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen immediately after omitting him from his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Petersen was among six players dropped by the veteran mentor when he named his final 26-man squad at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria on Wednesday night.
Bradley Cross was the only Chiefs player named, while his Amakhosi teammates Thabiso Monyane and Lebohang Maboe were omitted. Siwelele FC’s Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Thapelo Morena also missed out.
Petersen has been in sensational form this season, helping Chiefs to an impressive third-place finish. ‘Beeza’ was tipped to make the World Cup squad after keeping 15 clean sheets in 24 Betway Premiership games.
HUGO BROOS’ MESSAGE TO BRANDON PETERSEN?
“When you make a selection, first of all, you try to have a certain balance in your selection,” Broos told journalists. “Not too much from this, not too much from that. Do we have height in this selection? Do we have players who are in good shape at that moment? Are there any players who are not with us for the first time?”
Regarding Petersen, the 74-year-old said the time with the Amakhosi captain was too short “to get to know him”.
“And that’s also the reason why Petersen is not with us. Petersen was with us for only two days. I know Petersen as a goalkeeper, so I said to him yesterday evening, after we came back from the announcement, I said, ‘Listen, I have to choose between 3 goalkeepers – Goss, Chaine and you. I have to choose two goalkeepers. And when you look at the quality of those guys, you can’t choose because they are all of the same quality.
“So, on what level will I choose? For me, it was the integration. We had only one good training session on Tuesday, and that was it. I don’t know Brandon as a human being, so in those two days, you can’t know him, how will he react when he doesn’t play…. It’s not a question of quality.”
BROOS: “WE HAVE A GOOD BALANCE”
Bafana Bafana are in Group A of the 2026 edition of the global football showpiece. They kick off their campaign against co-host Mexico in Mexico City. They also face South Korea and the Czech Republic in their group.
Broos, the 2017 AFCON-winning coach with Cameroon, said he had prioritised integration in his current selection. He admitted that even in other positions, it was difficult to choose between “two players” as they are closely matched.
“I believe we now have a good balance in the squad. We also have height in the team, which is important. I’ve already analysed our next two opponents, and you can be sure they have tall players as well. So, we also need tall players to compete in those situations. That’s why, when selecting the squad, you have to consider all these factors carefully before making final decisions.”
Meanwhile, Broos revealed that Morena’s omission was due to an injury that will keep him from training for two weeks. He said it only made sense to bring in a player who is fully fit. Bucs’ Kamogelo Sebelebele seems like the perfect replacement for Morena, as he can play as a fullback and offensively on the wing.
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