Hugo Broos on Why He’s Confident Despite Key Players’ Absence

Hugo Broos, head coach of Bafana Bafana, remains confident and “not worried” despite the notable absences from his squad for the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria. 

The 23-man squad, which reported for camp on Monday, features several significant omissions.

Broos opted to leave out key players like Khuliso Mudau, Jayden Adams, Fawaaz Basadien, Thapelo Morena, and Mihlali Mayambela. He attributed their exclusion to a dip in form, though Mudau's absence was specifically due to a contractual dispute with his club, Mamelodi Sundowns. 

Broos's selections indicate a belief that a broader pool of talent is available to the national team. Adding to the changes, two late injuries forced Broos to call up Sipho Mbule and Thabo Moloisane to replace Patrick Maswanganyi and Ime Okon, who were both ruled out. 

Broos has stressed that even with the new faces, he has full confidence in the team's ability to achieve their World Cup qualifying objectives.

‘I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN THE TEAM’

“First of all, we have enough pool of players, about 40 players, and every week we are following them,” said Broos as per FARost.

“Some of them [we follow their games] live, and others on Wyscout, so we know exactly which level all players have. So, for example, when a player like [Thapelo] Morena is not with us, we need to find a player with the same qualities as this guy [Kamogelo Sebelebele] next to me. He’s quick, he has good feet, and we always try to go in the same direction when other players are not there.

“And when they come here and it’s the first time for them, we should have confidence in them. I know which qualities they have, and it’s up to them to show that.

“So I’m not worried because I have full confidence in the team and I know that we will be able to win against Lesotho and get good results against Nigeria.”