Bafana Bafana coach Broos leaks his plan to floor Mexico in World Cup opener in front of thousands of El Tri fans

Bafana Bafana face a daunting task on Thursday when they play co-hosts Mexico in the World Cup opener, hoping to defy the odds and claim maximum points.

This is the first time since 2010 that South Africa have played in the prestigious global competition. Their debut was in 1998, before again making it back in 2002, before hosting the tournament, the first time it was held on the continent, 16 years ago.

Mexico have been doing well in their build-up fixtures where they have managed six wins and two draws from the most recent eight assignments across all competitions.

South Africa have three draws and a loss against teams they should have beaten convincingly to instill confidence in their supporters. Despite that, Hugo Broos has explained why he is confident his team will deliver at Estadio Azteca Stadium on June 11.

There will be thousands of Mexico fans but…

“You know, it will be a special and fantastic experience for us because my players have never played in this kind of situation before,” Broos said as quoted by SAFA.

“So it will be very important for us to stick to the game plan and not listen to what is happening in the stands. We all know that there will be thousands of Mexicans inside the stadium and maybe a few South Africans.

“We know that we have the support of the nation and we felt it in the last few days, and last week when we started the preparations [for the World Cup] in South Africa. All of South Africa is supporting us.

“This is something we have to remember on Thursday when the game starts, that we are playing for our nation. We are playing for all those people who believe in us,” Broos concluded.