4 March 2025 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named a 37-member preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin this month.
Broos’ charges host Lesotho at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo, on 21 March 2025 (kick off is at 18h00) and then travel to Côte d’Ivoire to face Benin on 25 March 2025. The Beninese will host the South African men’s senior national team in Côte d’Ivoire after their home grounds were deemed unsuitable for international matches.
The team will report for camp in Johannesburg on Monday 17 March 2025 and then travel to Polokwane on the same day. After hosting Lesotho on 21 March, Broos and his charges will travel to Abidjan the next day on a charter flight to face Benin in the away match. They return to South Africa on 26 March 2025.
The preliminary squad will be trimmed to 23 players in the coming days when Broos announces his final list for the two matches.
SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan and CEO Lydia Monyepao urged fans to continue to buy their tickets and ensure that the stadium is full when Bafana Bafana resume their World Cup campaign.
Tickets are on sale at TicketPro and they cost R70.00 for adults and R40.00 for children under the age of 12. The game will be broadcast live on SABC.
Access to the corporate/business 22-Seater Suite can be arranged with tsholot@polokwane.gov.za while SAFA, Southern Sun and Limpopo Tourism will release weekend accommodation packages in due course.
