The 25-year-old left-back is the only Chiefs player selected in Hugo Broos’ final squad for the global tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, despite four Amakhosi players initially making the preliminary list.
Cross and Olwethu Makhanya are the only uncapped players included in the squad.
South Africa have been drawn in Group A alongside Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea.
His inclusion has sparked debate on social media, with some supporters questioning his selection while others celebrated the player’s rise to the senior national team.
However, Cross insists outside opinions are not distracting him as he prepares for the biggest tournament of his career.
“Well, look, I don’t really focus too much on social media,” Cross told the media at the squad announcement press-conference this week
“I rather stick towards myself and what I can control. Like I said before, I just work hard, put my head down and look ahead.”
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Cross, who previously represented South Africa at Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 level, also reflected on his difficult football journey, which included moving overseas at a young age before returning home to pursue his dream of playing for the senior Bafana Bafana side.
“For me since I was young I was in the youth setups, I think Under-20 I was at the age of 16 and then I went overseas,” he said.
“It wasn’t easy, obviously that side it was a lot of competition. And then my decision was to come back to South Africa and my main goal was to get into the Bafana Bafana squad, and ever since then I’ve been working hard and staying focused.”
Cross is likely to make his Bafana Bafana debut when South Africa take on Nicaragua at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday in their final home friendly before departing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.