Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes Relebohile Mofoleng is not yet ripe to carry the national side at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, also warning against putting pressure on the Orlando Pirates midfielder.
The 21-year-old is part of Broos’ 26-member squad to do duty at the quadrennial tournament to be co-hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. Bafana kick off their campaign against Mexico on June 11 at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
Expectations are high on Mofokeng after his instrumental role in helping Pirates win the 2025/26 Betway Premiership title. It was a season in which he was converted from being a winger into an attacking midfielder by the Buccaneers coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
With the player having thrived in his new role at club level, Broos also made the SAFA School of Excellence graduate a playmaker. This came as the Bafana coach looked for a reliable playmaker who would be a long-term replacement for Themba Zwane.
First to be tried was Patrick Maswanganyi, before Sipho Mbule went to the 2025 AFCON finals as a hyped number 10 but could not live up to expectations.
With Maswanganyi having been dropped from the preliminary World Cup squad and Mbule now out of the picture, Broos will mainly look up to Mofokeng, Zwane and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Jayden Adams as his men for creativity.
However, Bafana vice-captain Zwane has struggled to reclaim his best form following battles with injuries.
‘DON’T PUT PRESSURE ON RELEBOHILE MOFOKENG’: BROOS PLEADS
Making expectations high on Mofokeng is the impressive title-winning season he had with Pirates. It was a term he scooped six Betway Premiership Man of the Match awards and was named Player of the Month three times.
That places him as a firm favourite to be crowned the PSL Footballer of the Season, having also scored 10 goals nd provided eight assists in 27 league matches. Given his solid performances, he is being tipped to overshadow Zwane and Adams at the World Cup.
But Broos is not convinced Mofokeng is still on the level to steal the show in North America.
“I think the most important thing is to give him confidence, I think I do that to talk more, it’s not a conversation of minutes but little things,” said Broos.
“I do more with him than with every other player because I know what happened to Rele in the last two years. It’s not so easy. He came from nothing to a star here in the national competition.
“I’m also convinced that Rele is still not on his highest level. He needs some more things, and I hope for him that he will have a transfer now and go to a bigger competition to become a better player than he is now.
“I don’t think we have to put too much pressure on his shoulders, he is still a young man. We have to protect him also, even when he is not having the performance that you all expect from him. I don’t think he is ready for that.
BROOS’ ADVICE FOR RELEBOHILE MOFOKENG: ‘HE NEEDS MORE POWER AND EXPERIENCE’
“But again with the qualities, how good he is, he can help us a lot at the World Cup. But again, don’t put pressure on his shoulders. He is not ready for that, not yet,” the 2017 AFCON-winning coach went on.
“He can become a very important player for Bafana Bafana, but it is still too soon to put the pressure and all the weight of the game on his shoulders.
“Also on my side, I have to protect him [to make sure] that he is not burnt when he comes back from the World Cup and everyone will start to doubt him.
“I know that he needs some more power, more experience as well on that level, but with the qualities he has and the player he is, he will achieve. But give him time, please.”
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