Bafana Bafana are now feeling the pressure to qualify for the World Cup after South Africa’s junior teams did the same.
Bafana are leading their World Cup qualification group with 13 points from six matches, five ahead of both Rwanda and Benin, and look set to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010.
However, there is now more pressure at home after both the U17 and U20 teams sealed their tickets to the World Cup.
How did Amajita seal World Cup ticket?
Amajita made it to the 2025 U20 World Cup following a 1-0 win over DR Congo in the quarter-final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations which saw them make it to the semi-final and with it a ticket to the global tournament in Chile.
“Our game against DRC Congo, we knew that it’s not going to be an easy game, because every country wanted to qualify for the World Cup,” Amajita coach Raymond Mdaka told safa.net.
“But we told ourselves to say, ‘We are in the tournament, and one of the main objectives was to qualify.’ So, we used almost everything that we thought we have, technically, tactically, physically and character.
SA U20 & U17 put pressure on Bafana
“You could see they had a very good plan for us, but we were fortunate, first half not to concede, and second half we sorted it out, and then we at least came back and then be able to get a goal and protected the goal. I think it’s a good show for the boys and good also for the country for qualifying for the World Cup.”
Their World Cup qualification comes hot on the heels of Amajimbos’ big achievement after Vela Khumalo’s team sealed their place to the global event in Qatar after finishing second in their U17 Africa Cup of Nations group in Morocco last month.
Now is the turn of Bafana Bafana with Hugo Broos’ men looking to maintain their big advantage in their four remaining matches against Lesotho, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
