Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Maimane Phiri says he is confident the team can beat Mexico and also progress from the group stages at the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada.
Bafana start their campaign with the opening game of the tournament against Mexico on Thursday before facing Czech Republic and South Korea in Group A.
Phiri who played in South Africa’s maiden World Cup in France in 1998 and also 2002, spoke to IDiski Times senior journalist Matshelane Mamabolo in edition 259 of the newspaper about his optimism in Hugo Broos’ team. The former Jomo Cosmos man is confident El Tri can be beaten by Bafana, who last featured in the global showpiece 16 years ago.
“Yeah, I’m very positive” Phiri told IDiski Times.
“I think it’s a very balanced squad and all that’s left is for the coach to get the right team on each match day. Mexico is not a difficult opponent. The opponent I fear is South Korea because I’ve been following them, and they’ve invested a lot in development.”
“We were supposed to have won that match in 2010 1-0 but we had that lapse of concentration which gave them the equaliser. As for the Czechs, they are not as strong because they are rebuilding. So we can get the necessary points to qualify [for the knockouts] before we play South Korea.”
“There is stability in the coaching staff. Coach Hugo took us from zero to up there, and the players are familiar with him. It’s not like a new guy comes to us to implement his tactics, like we had in 1998 and in 2002. So, yeah, as a coach, he’s been stable and done well.”
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