Bafana Bafana News Today: Zlatan highlights SA strengths, Davies boost for Canada & More

Latest news about Bafana Bafana in the last 24 hours, including an update on Canada star Alphonso Davies, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s take on what makes South Africa tick and Matthew Booth’s verdict on the centre-back partnership.

Canada get Davies boost ahead of Bafana clash

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has confirmed that Bayern Munich captain Alphonso Davies is expected to be available for his side’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash against South Africa on Sunday evening at the Los Angeles Stadium.

Davies has not featured at the tournament so far, having missed all three of Canada’s group-stage matches while recovering from a left hamstring strain sustained towards the end of last season. He was named on the bench for each game but was never fit enough to take the field.

Marsch revealed that he had deliberately used Davies as a tactical ploy during the group stage, hoping to unsettle opponents without risking the defender’s fitness.

Zlatan: Bafana best counter-attacking team

Former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has heaped praise on African football following the impressive showings of Morocco and South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Both nations secured their places in the Round of 32, with Morocco finishing second in Group C on the same number of points as group winners Brazil, while Bafana Bafana claimed second spot in Group A after their memorable 1-0 victory over South Korea.

The Swedish legend suggested FIFA should increase African representation at future editions of the tournament.

“I think this is a signal for FIFA: They should invite more African nations to the World Cup. Nigeria should be here too,” he said, as reported by Foot Africa.

“African football is something special. They do not make unnecessary passes. As soon as they get the ball, they go straight for the attack. That is the kind of football we need.”

Ibrahimovic singled out both Morocco and South Africa for different strengths, describing Morocco as the continent’s best team in terms of ball control and identifying Bafana Bafana as the best counter-attacking side in Africa.

Booth impressed with Mbokazi-Okon partnership

Former Bafana Bafana defender Matthew Booth has praised the developing central defensive partnership of Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Ime Okon, declaring that Hugo Broos appears to have found his best combination at the heart of the backline.

“Yeah, so it seems like Hugo Broos has found a new centre-back pairing,” Booth told Soccer Laduma ahead of Sunday’s Round of 32 clash against Canada.

“They suit each other well from a physical point of view. You know, Okon is taller in stature. His technical abilities include a good pass into the space to break lines. Mbokazi, of course, is very strong in the tackle.”

Booth pointed to the South Korea match as evidence of the partnership’s quality, highlighting the defensive statistics from the contest.

“The Korea game, I think, capped off a brilliant defensive performance. Korea had 69% of the possession. But despite this, they restricted them to eight shots, only three on target. So that was a great defensive performance,” he explained.