Hugo Broos Names Bafana Bafana Star He’s Counting on for AFCON and 2026 World Cup
- Hugo Broos has named a Bafana Bafana star he will rely on at the Africa Cup of Nations and also at the FIFA World Cup next year
- The former Cameroon national team coach is eager to lead Bafana Bafana to the World Cup, which will be hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America
- The South African men's national team will face Lesotho and the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
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Bafana Bafana manager Hugo Broos has named a player who's not presently with the squad that he's counting on ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Belgian tactician named a 23-man squad filled with young players for Bafana Bafana's World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria, and recently made a few changes due to injury problems.
Some of the notably absent players from the team are Elias Mokwana, Percy Tau, Khuliso Mudau, and Fawaaz Basadien.
Broos names Bafana star he's counting on for AFCON, World Cup
Broos, while speaking ahead of Lesotho's clash, claimed he considered Themba Zwane an important player for his team despite currently nursing an injury.
The Belgian coach explained that he's not surprised by how serious the Mamelodi Sundowns star's injury was.
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"Honestly, I wasn’t surprised by what happened, considering his age and the severity of the injury. I feared it might be the end of Themba’s career," Broos admitted.
"It wasn’t just a minor muscle strain; it was a serious Achilles injury. He put in a lot of hard work to come back. But now, I think he's starting to feel the long-term effects."
Broos also advised Mamelodi Sundowns on how to manage Zwane, as he's not expected to play every game due to his age, even when he's fully recovered from injury.
"In the past, Themba rarely struggled with injuries, so this situation isn’t completely unexpected. I believe he’s fully recovered physically, but moving forward, Sundowns will need to manage him carefully," he continued.
"At his age, after that type of injury, it's unrealistic to expect him to play every single match."
The Bafana Bafana head coach went on to confirm that he would be counting on the Sundowns captain for the forthcoming AFCON and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"If they’re not cautious, I worry he could fall into a cycle of recurring injuries, and I really need him fit," Broos added.
"I hope he stays healthy, because I’m counting on him for the Africa Cup of Nations and even for the World Cup."
Zwane has been an important player for both club and country since he began his professional career and has netted 12 goals and provided three assists in 51 appearances for Bafana Bafana, with 10 of those goal contributions (goals + assists) coming in just 21 matches under the current head coach, Broos.
Favourites to Win SA vs Nigeria Clash
Briefly News also reported that a Nigerian sports journalist named the favourite to win the clash between Bafana Bafana and the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The South African men's national team will host the Super Eagles on matchday 8 in their World Cup qualifying group.
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Source: Briefly News
