Bafana Bafana head coach, Hugo Broos, is confident in his team’s preparations for their upcoming match against Benin, describing the 2026 World Cup qualifier as a crucial opportunity to take a significant step toward securing their spot at the tournament.
After a convincing 2-0 win over Lesotho in Polokwane on Friday, South Africa now faces second-placed Benin later this evening.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Broos was unable to hold his final one-hour training session on the match pitch the day before the game, a FIFA regulation. Despite his dissatisfaction with the situation, Broos remains confident that his team can secure three vital points in the match.
Benin dropped two points in their draw with Zimbabwe on Friday, allowing South Africa to open up a two-point gap at the top of Group C, with African powerhouse Nigeria languishing in fourth place.
“We’re ready for the game tomorrow,” said Broos as quoted on iDiski Times. “We played a good game on Friday against Lesotho, a very difficult game and we know tomorrow will be difficult again, Benin is a good team.”
“They played a draw on Friday [against Zimbabwe] so they are two points behind us but qualification for the World Cup in Africa is very difficult, you can never tell before a game you will win it, you have to fight for every metre, every ball, every point you need.
“So tomorrow [against Benin] will be no different, we will play against a good team, we know that, but on the other side we’re confident in ourselves, if you see the progression of South Africa in the last year, it’s enormous, so we’re confident.
Broos stressed the importance of the upcoming match, saying, “This can be a key day, imagine we win tomorrow, Benin will be five points behind already, Nigeria is already at four points and we will see what will happen in the other games, it can be a key day – we will do everything to win.”
The match is set to kick off at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Côte d’Ivoire at 18:00 (SAST) on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.