Bafana Bafana Doctor Breaks Silence On Injury That Ruled Sundowns Star Out Of World Cup Squad

• Bafana Bafana’s medical team played a decisive role in final squad selections after closely monitoring key injury cases ahead of the World Cup announcement
• A Mamelodi Sundowns defender missed out on selection following a late setback, while another teammate recovered in time to make the final 26-man squad
• Team doctors revealed the intense pressure behind the scenes as they raced against time to assess fitness levels before head coach Hugo Broos confirmed his tournament squad

Bafana Bafana’s medical doctor has opened up about a serious injury that led to the exclusion of a key player from the squad announced by head coach Hugo Broos for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, 27 May.

Six players missed out on the opportunity to represent South Africa at the global showpiece in the Americas, which kicks off in June. One of those players is Mamelodi Sundowns defender Thapelo Morena, whose fitness had been under close observation. His club teammate, Aubrey Modiba, was also a doubt due to injury concerns but ultimately made the final squad.

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Bafana Bafana doctor on injury concerns

Speaking to SABC Sport shortly after Broos confirmed his 26-man World Cup squad, South African Football Association Chief Medical Officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya explained that the medical team worked around the clock, conducting intensive assessments on both players.

“It was an extremely difficult period, probably the biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career in sports medicine. We had Aubrey Modiba, who suffered a hamstring injury during the first leg of the CAF Champions League, and the medical team worked tirelessly to get him back. He has since been cleared and is now part of the squad going forward,” said Ngwenya.

“The medical team will continue working on him, but we are confident that by the 11th, Aubrey will be ready,” he added. “The second case, Thapelo Morena, is very unfortunate. We did everything possible to support and manage his recovery, but we simply could not get him to the level we hoped for. We carried out another scan today, and the results were disappointing.”

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Bafana Bafana World Cup fixtures

Ngwenya added that he hopes all players will remain fit during the upcoming international friendlies, with Bafana Bafana set to face Nicaragua on Friday, 29 May, before taking on Jamaica in their next warm-up match.

South Africa will open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on 11 June. They will then travel to the United States for their second group-stage match against the Czech Republic in Atlanta, before returning to Mexico for their final pool game against South Korea in Monterrey.

Hugo Broos consoles omitted Bafana Bafana players

Briefly News previously reported that Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos appeared emotional as he embraced the excluded players and greeted each one individually, perhaps in an attempt to console them.

However, nothing could ease the disappointment, especially for Petersen, who enjoyed an impressive season in Amakhosi colours.

Source: Briefly News