South Africa clash with surprise package Benin in the second of two crucial World Cup qualifiers at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Côte d’Ivoire later this evening.
South Africa surged to the top of Group C in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers with a 2-0 triumph over Lesotho at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday evening.
As it stands, South Africa leads Group C of the World Cup qualifiers with 10 points, maintaining a narrow advantage over Benin, who have eight points, and Rwanda, who sit on seven. The team will now turn their attention to their next fixture, a crucial match against Benin on Tuesday evening, where Broos stressed the importance of a victory.
The Belgian tactician said, “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.”
Plot Twist
Ahead of the crucial World Cup qualifier against Benin, Bafana Bafana may be at risk of a points deduction after fielding Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Lesotho.
FIFA is expected to review the situation, and the outcome could significantly impact the standings in Group C, depending on whether the points from the Lesotho match are overturned. Bafana Bafana will be hoping for a positive resolution as they continue their quest for World Cup qualification.
Read: Bafana Bafana Could Face Points Deduction Following Sundowns midfielder Ineligibility
Player Spotlight
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos lauded the man-of-the-match performance of Relebohile Mokokeng following the 2-0 victory over Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba. Indeed, it was the Orlando Pirates academy graduates first start for the South African senior mens national team and the twenty year-old scored his maiden international goal when he opening the scoring after 60 minutes.
Broos said after the game: “I think this game was the right moment for Rele, he played a very good game and this is what we need, when you put a young guy in the team, as a coach, you have to always think they can succeed.
“If he doesn’t, can you imagine he played a bad game, then everyone would say ‘maybe it’s too soon, maybe he’s not so good’. So you have to help the player with that.
“I think I did that with Rele and I did that today with Jayden too, for me, Jayden also played a very good game – but this was also an opponent to do that. You can’t do that against Nigeria, or maybe for the first time, in Benin because those are different games.”
Broos added: “I have to watch and see when is the right moment and then sometimes they don’t succeed then either – but today you see Rele, he had the confidence from my side and he confirmed it, so I’m very happy with that.”
How to watch
The match is scheduled to kick-off at 18:00 on Tuesday, 25 March 2025 and will be carried live on the public broadcaster’s radio stations for commentary. The match will be broadcast live on SABC 3, SABC Plus, SABC Sport digital platforms and on the Pay-TV platform, SuperSport channel 202.
Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium
The 33 000 seater stadium will host the clash between Benin and South Africa. The Abidjan based stadium will be buzzing with excitement as the multi-purpose venue is a true gem for the city, hosting a diverse range of events from football and rugby to athletics.
Originally the home ground of the Ivory Coast national football team, the stadium is named in honor of the country’s first president, Félix Houphouet-Boigny and is affectionately known as Le Félicia.
Betting odds (supplied by Hollywoodbets)
To win (90 min)
28/10 Benin | Draw 16/10 | South Africa 11/10
South Africa, eager to maintain their top spot in Group C, will face a Benin outfit that has nothing to lose. A match up with these two storylines could lead to another exciting and goal-filled game. The previous encounter between these two nations saw South Africa edge Benin and I predict a similar result here.
We tip Bafana and over 2.5 goals at 32/10.