Bafana Bafana have learnt who they will face in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group after the draw took place on Friday evening.
Bafana were seeded in pot 3, alongside Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, meaning they could not be drawn against those.
It will be the first tournament with 48 participants, marking the beginning of a new era for the beautiful game.
Bafana’s unbeaten run currently stretches to 25 games on the pitch, but it’s not an official run anymore after FIFA turned the 2-0 win over Lesotho from March into a 3-0 defeat due to the suspended Teboho Mokoena playing.
However, Broos and his men will take confidence from the fact that they were last defeated during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
At next year’s World Cup, South Africa will face Mexico in the opening game of the tournament, while Korea Republic has also been added in the group with the fourth team still to be drawn.
The final team in Bafana’s group will be determined in the UEFA playoffs between Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic and Ireland.
It will be a replay of the 2010 World Cup opener, when co-hosts Mexico will face Hugo Broos’ men on 11 June.
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