Bafana Bafana centre-back Ime Okon has opened up on the biggest gains from the 2026 FIFA World Cup that he intends to take to his Bundesliga 2 club Hannover 96.
The 22-year-old was a key player for South Africa and featured in every minute of their campaign, which ended at the Round of 32. It was a tournament in which Bafana conceded four goals in as many games.
Okon partnered with Mbekezeli Mbokazi in the tournament opener against co-hosts Mexico, as well as against the Czech Republic, South Korea and Canada. Facing established players like Raul Jimenez, Son Heung-min, and Patrik Schick, the South African central defence pair stood their ground and were never overwhelmed by the occasion.
Making the 2026 World Cup memorable for Bafana is that it was their first time going past the group stage into the knockouts in this competition. Okon highlighted that his biggest takeaways from Bafana’s historic World Cup run came from testing himself against the world’s elite attackers on football’s grandest stage.
Experiencing high-pressure environments like the tournament opener against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium taught him invaluable lessons in handling top-tier opposition, which he plans to bring back to Hannover 96.
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“You’re playing against the best players in the world at a World Championship. The matches against top attackers, in particular, were invaluable experiences,” Okon said on the Hannover 96 website.
“I want to bring those impressions and what I learned there to the team and help them. Ultimately, it’s about improving together as a team and having a successful season.”
The former SuperSport United defender goes on to reflect on June 11, the day they took on Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium. An occasion where Bafana were performing on the global stage watched by billions of people across the world stands as the pinnacle of Okon’s career.
“That was simply crazy. To walk out onto the pitch in such a stadium and play the opening match is probably the greatest moment of my career so far,” added Okon.
“These are feelings that are hard to describe. Of course, we would have liked to win the game and advance further in the tournament overall, but we made it past the group stage of a World Cup for the first time. We can be very proud of that as a team and as a country.”
IME OKON FINALLY CHARMING HUGO BROOS
Before going to the World Cup, Okon had only featured for Bafana at the 2025 COSAFA Cup, earning five caps. However, he was initially snubbed by Bafana coach Hugo Broos for the World Cup qualifiers and the 2025 AFCON tournament.
However, his international career started shaping up when he was called up for the March 2026 back-to-back international friendly matches against Panama. He played 90 minutes in each of the games to cement his World Cup spot.
“After the friendlies in March, I felt I’d done quite well. The coach echoed that sentiment,” Okon reflects.
“I just kept working hard and trying to prove myself. Eventually, you get the feeling that the coach trusts you. But in the end, I just wanted to give my all every day and be ready when my chance came.”
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