How Orlando Pirates Performed on National Duty

Orlando Pirates had six players participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this past week. Afrik-Foot takes a look at how they fared.

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South Africa first defeated Lesotho 3-0 at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein last Friday before they drew 1-1 with Nigeria on Tuesday night at the same venue.

Sipho Chaine

As expected, Chaine didn’t feature for the national team with the captain Ronwen Williams still holding his regular position tight between the posts. One may have expected him to play during the match against Likuena but Hugo Broos decided to field the Mamelodi Sundowns netminder.

• Mbekezeli Mbokazi

The young centre-back started and finished both games. He was a hero, particularly during the Nigeria clash, saving Bafana from conceding a goal that could have given Super Eagles a win.

Thalente Mbatha

Mbatha started the game against Lesotho last week and produced an exhilarating performance. He played the whole 90 minutes and was consistent with his display. Against Nigeria, the Durban-born midfielder started the match on the bench but was subbed in during the second half, replacing his Pirates teammate Sipho Mbule.

Sipho Mbule

Touted as the next number 10 for Bafana Bafana with Themba Zwane aging, Mbule had performances to remember in both games. He was impressive against Lesotho where Bafana won 3-0. And against Super Eagles, yes he performed well but in patches.

Relebohile Mofokeng

Surprisingly, Hugo Broos didn’t use Mofokeng in either match. Instead, he started Oswin Appollis on the left flank for both games, while Mohau Nkota played on the right. Broos may have been protecting Mofokeng due to his recent dip in form.

Kamogelo Sebelebele

Sebelebele was thrown towards the end in both matches against Lesotho and Nigeria. He didn’t do much in both games despite showing the glimpses that he could dangerous when he starts next time.

• Oswin Appollis

The skilful winger played both games and while he had exciting moments upfront, he didn’t do any significant harm to both opponents that Bafana faced.