Orlando Pirates are prominent in any Bafana squad these days. However, a few first-team regulars might miss World Cup 2026.
Pirates had several players in the most recent squads that drew with Zimbabwe and beat Rwanda.
With 10 months until the showpiece, which Buccaneers stars could miss out?
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Orlando Pirates players with a point to prove for Bafana Bafana
Sipho Chaine
The Pirates ‘keeper is unfortunate in that he’s vying with current skipper Ronwen Williams for the right to wear the gloves. Often decisive and reliable in big games with his penalty-saving antics and solid distribution, Chaine will be a great guy to have in the final group in 2026. Whether he gets game time, however, is less clear.
Tshegofatso Mabasa
It seems clear now that there’s a personal issue between the prolific Pirates marksman and Bafana boss Hugo Broos. Evidence Makgopa is now a regular in Broos’ squads, but 2023-2024 PSL Golden Boot winner Mabasa is out in the cold. The 29-year-old has already scored in three separate competitions for the Sea Robbers this term; the 10 months lying ahead will be pivotal to him proving his mettle and booking an unlikely spot on the plane to the Americas in June 2026.
Patrick Maswanganyi
27-year-old playmaker Maswanganyi is not short of creativity and flair, but consistency is an issue he’s faced in recent campaigns. The left-footer produced five goals and five assists in the 2023-2024 campaign in the league. That output dropped to three goals and zero assists the following season. With so much depth in the attacking midfield roles for Bafana, Maswanganyi will need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to get back in contention for his country.
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