Former Nigeria international and Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has weighed in on Brandon Petersen’s exclusion from the Bafana Bafana 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, admitting he understands Hugo Broos’ rationale.
Despite an outstanding domestic season that established him as one of the PSL top shot-getters, Petersen failed to make Broos’ final squad for the global showpiece, which kicks off in North America on Thursday, 11 June 2026.
Petersen stood out as one of the most high-profile omissions—alongside Mamelodi Sundowns star Thapelo Morena when Broos trimmed his preliminary list.
The goalkeeper’s exclusion sparked fierce debate among the Bafana Bafana faithful, given his monumental impact for Amakhosi during the 2024/25 campaign. Petersen’s remarkable record of 15 clean sheets in just 24 league outings briefly thrust him to the front of the queue to serve as primary cover for undisputed number one, Ronwen Williams.
Ultimately, Broos deemed the veteran keeper surplus to requirements for the final tournament squad, opting instead for Orlando Pirates’ Sipho Chaine and Ricardo Goss, who is on loan from Sundowns at Siwelele FC.
Broos, however, clarified his decision, stating that it was influenced by a lack of time to assess Petersen and how he would fit into the Bafana culture.
‘THAT WAS HEALTHY COMPETITION FOR BRANDON PETERSEN’ – DANIEL AKPEYI
And Akpeyi, who was named in Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, believes the level of competition for the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper slot ahead of the global showpiece was healthy for Petersen.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Toyota Cup on Tuesday, June 9, 2026—the same event where he formally announced his retirement from professional football—Akpeyi expressed an understanding of Broos’ decision.
Having navigated the pressures of the South African league and international competition himself, Akpeyi acknowledged the difficult balancing act coaches face when selecting a tournament squad, particularly regarding team chemistry and the “human element” of integrating new players into a high-stakes environment.
“I think it’s a great competition this time around because you find that someone like Sipho Chaine was doing well with Pirates, and you can tell that Ricardo Goss was doing well, Ronwen Williams – that actually put them in the spot where they are. Unfortunately for Petersen, he couldn’t really make it to the World Cup,” Akpeyi said.
“I understand from the coach’s perspective because it’s a delicate situation for you to want to take one out of the three who have always been there [in the Bafana squad].
“But it has been a good competition for all the goalkeepers in the league so far. There has been a lot of improvement; there’s been competition for clean sheets. Kudos to Chaine, who was able to have 21 clean sheets in the league, and that has set the record.”
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