Bafana Bafana World Cup Daily: Experienced star returns from injury

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here and this is your daily one-stop destination for everything Bafana Bafana. forestarrow.rest

From fixtures and squad updates to qualification permutations, historical records and World Cup trivia, we’ve got South Africa covered.

AUBREY MODIBA BEGINS FULL TRAINING

Positive news from the BafanaBafana camp in Pachuca, Mexico, left wing-back Aubrey Modiba completed his first full training session with the squad without any issues.

Head coach Hugo Broos revealed earlier that he is hopeful Modiba will be fit enough to start against the hosts when South Africa kick off their FIFA World Cup campaign on Thursday.

WHEN IS MEXICO VS SOUTH AFRICA?

• Date: 11 June 2026
• Kick-off: 21:00 SAST
• Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Other Group A Fixtures

• 18 June 2026
• Czech Republic vs South Africa
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States
• 18:00 SAST

• 25 June 2026
• South Africa vs South Korea
• Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico
• 03:00 SAST

HOW CAN BAFANA BAFANA QUALIFY FOR THE ROUND OF 32?

The top two teams in each group qualify automatically. The eight best third-placed teams across all 12 groups also advance.

Scenario 1: Automatic Qualification

• Beat Mexico
• Beat Czech Republic

Bafana qualify with a game to spare.

Scenario 2: Finish As Runners-Up

• Collect between four and six points
• Finish above either South Korea or Czech Republic

Scenario 3: Qualify As One Of The Best Third-Placed Teams

• Finish third in Group A
• Have a superior points tally, goal difference and goals scored record compared to other third-placed nations.

DID YOU KNOW?

• South Africa secured automatic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating which country 3-0 in their final group match? Rwanda.
• Hugo Broos is the Belgian head coach who successfully ended Bafana Bafana’s 24-year drought of qualifying for a World Cup on merit? True (their last direct qualification was in 2002; they participated in 2010 as automatic hosts)
• South Africca will face which co-host country in their highly anticipated opening group match of the 2026 World Cup? Mexico.
• Which legendary striker scored South Africa’s first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup match back in 1998?Benni McCarthy (against Denmark).
• South Africa famously defeated which former World Cup champions 2-1 during the 2010 World Cup group stage? France.

WHO IS IN THE BAFANA BAFANA WORLD CUP SQUAD?

Goalkeepers

• Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates)
• Ricardo Goss (Siwelele FC)

Defenders

• Thabang Matuludi (Polokwane City)
• Khulumani Ndamane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Bradley Cross (Kaizer Chiefs)
• Khuliso Mudau (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Aubrey Modiba (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire, USA)
• Samukele Kabini (Molde FK, Norway)
• Nkosinathi Sibisi (Orlando Pirates)
• Ime Okon (Hannover 96, Germany)
• Olwethu Makhanya (Philadelphia Union, USA)
• Kamogelo Sebelebele (Orlando Pirates)

Midfielders

• Jayden Adams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Sphephelo Sithole (CD Tondela, Portugal)
• Thalente Mbatha (Orlando Pirates)

Forwards

• Lyle Foster (Burnley, England)
• Relebohile Mofokeng (Orlando Pirates)
• Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Thapelo Maseko (AEL Limassol, Cyprus)
• Evidence Makgopa (Orlando Pirates)
• Tshepang Moremi (Orlando Pirates)
• Oswin Appollis (Orlando Pirates)
• Iqraam Rayners (Mamelodi Sundowns).

HOW HAVE BAFANA PERFORMED AT PREVIOUS WORLD CUPS?

France 1998

• Lost 3-0 vs France
• Drew 1-1 vs Denmark
• Drew 2-2 vs Saudi Arabia

Finish: Third

Korea/Japan 2002

• Drew 2-2 vs Paraguay
• Beat Slovenia 1-0
• Lost 3-2 vs Spain

Finish: Third

South Africa 2010

• Drew 1-1 vs Mexico
• Lost 3-0 vs Uruguay
• Beat France 2-1

Finish: Third

Russia 2018

Did not qualify

Qatar 2022

Did not qualify.

WHO IS BAFANA BAFANA’S PLAYER TO WATCH?

Oswin Appollis

• Age: 24
• Club: Orlando Pirates
• Position: Winger

Appollis heads into the 2026 FIFA World Cup in excellent form after contributing 11 goals and nine assists for Orlando Pirates across all competitions during the 2025/26 season.

The winger has also become a key player for Bafana Bafana, registering nine goals and eight assists in 25 appearances since making his senior international debut in November 2023.

If South Africa are to cause an upset in Group A, Appollis is likely to play a central role.

Fresh off becoming the fourth South African to win the World Sevens Player of the Season award, Tristan Leyds made a bold claim, that the Blitzboks were targeting gold at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Leyds joined previous winners Cecil Afrika (2011), Werner Kok (2015) and Seabelo Senatla (2016) in picking up the biggest individual Sevens award, and admitted it was an emotional moment when coach Philip Snyman told him he had won on Saturday.

He was then able to celebrate the award with his family, including his wife, parents and brother Dillyn (former Springbok, Stormers and current La Rochelle star), who were all in the crowd when he received the award after the Bordeaux Sevens concluded on Sunday.

“That made it all the more special. The daily support I get from my wife often gets me going when the body is tired, while my parents have always been there supporting me,” said Leyds.

“And what can I say about Dillyn, he always calls me ‘the better Leyds’ on his social media posts and that means a lot. I mean, he is a Springbok, he won the Champions Cup twice with La Rochelle, and was named Player of the Final, so yes, maybe I did step a bit out of his shadow by winning Player of the Year.”

Season highlights

Leyds thanked his teammates, especially Snyman and Blitzbok assistant coach Renfred Dazel for their influence on his career and making him a better player, while he also said winning the Cape Town Sevens back-to-back and triumphing in Hong Kong were season highlights.

“I came here three years ago and from the start coach Phil backed me. At the start of this season I told him I want to be the best 10 on the circuit. He asked me: ‘Why not the best player in the world?’, something that really got me thinking,” explained Leyds.

“Coach Renfred is always there with his experience and technical inputs, and I am continuously learning from him as well. It really has been a remarkable journey.

“One of the things you want to try and do is to set new standards, and with this team the standard is already so high with everything they have achieved.

“Doing the Cape Town double and winning in Hong Kong were special and has not been done before, and to be part of that was another of many boxes I ticked since I joined the squad.”

Looking to the Blitzboks’ future, Leyds said he hoped he would be around to help the team win Olympic gold: “I got that bronze with the team in Paris (at the 2024 Games) and realised how big it could be for us in 2028. We have not (yet) set that goal and hopefully I can still be around when that squad is selected.”

Overall it has been a terrific season for the Blitzboks, winning both the Sevens World Series and Sevens World Championship titles.

Event wins this season

They won four events in the World Seris this season, in Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver and New York, while they picked up a first ever win in Hong Kong in the World Championship, showing their overall dominance as they clinched five out of nine events across both tournaments.

“I am so very, very proud of this team, and to win both the World Series and the World Championship is a special feat indeed,” said coach Snyman about his team’s efforts.

“The fact that we won the Hong Kong tournament for the first time ever was probably the highlight of the World Championship, and along with playing in the final last weekend, that laid the foundation for us to retain our World Championship status.”

Snyman also praised Leyds for his big win, as well as the team’s top try scorer, Shilton van Wyk, who was named in the World Sevens Dream Team.

“He (Leyds) is a worthy winner. I played with all three previous winners – Cecil Afrika, Werner Kok, and Seabelo Senatla – and coached Tristan. He is right up there with the best,” said Snyman.

“I am very happy for Shilton too, named alongside Tristan in the Dream Team. If I had my way, the seven players would all be from the Blitzboks, but then, I am biased after all.”

La République démocratique du Congo affronte le Chili ce mardi lors de son dernier match de préparation avant la Coupe du monde 2026. Le coup d’envoi est prévu à 19h00 GMT au stade de la Source, à Orléans, dans le cadre d’une rencontre à huis clos pour les Léopards de Sébastien Desabre.

Accrochée par le Danemark le 3 juin (0-0), la RDC a pu renforcer sa solidité défensive lors de son précédent test. Face au Chili, battu récemment par le Portugal (2-1), les hommes de Desabre chercheront à poursuivre leur montée en puissance tout en gagnant en efficacité offensive. L’objectif est clair : engranger de la confiance avant le Mondial.

Cap sur le Mondial et un groupe relevé

Cinquante-deux ans après sa première et unique participation en 1974, la RDC retrouvera la Coupe du monde le 17 juin à Houston face au Portugal de Cristiano Ronaldo. Les Léopards affronteront ensuite la Colombie le 24 juin à Zapopan, avant de conclure la phase de groupes contre l’Ouzbékistan.

Face au Chili, cette nouvelle génération congolaise veut déjà montrer qu’elle est prête pour le grand rendez-vous mondial.

The post RD Congo – Chili : dernier test des Léopards avant la Coupe du monde 2026 appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

La Coupe du Monde 2026 réunira certaines des plus grandes stars du football mondial. Parmi les centaines de joueurs attendus aux États-Unis, au Canada et au Mexique, seuls 22 ont déjà connu le privilège de soulever le trophée le plus convoité de la planète football.

Championne du monde en titre, l’Argentine domine largement ce classement. Sacrée au Qatar en 2022, l’Albiceleste pourra compter sur pas moins de 17 joueurs déjà couronnés au plus haut niveau. Emmenés par Lionel Messi, les Argentins abordent cette nouvelle édition avec un groupe riche en expérience et en confiance. Plusieurs cadres du sacre qatari sont toujours présents, à l’image d’Emiliano Martínez, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Romero ou encore Lautaro Martínez.

Derrière l’Argentine, la France est la deuxième nation la plus représentée parmi les anciens champions du monde. Les Bleus comptent quatre joueurs sacrés en Russie en 2018. Il y a Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernandez, N’Golo Kanté et Kylian Mbappé. Ce dernier, déjà auteur d’une finale mémorable en 2022, tentera de guider la sélection française vers un deuxième titre mondial en huit ans.

L’Allemagne ferme la marche avec un unique représentant. Vainqueur de la Coupe du Monde 2014 au Brésil, Manuel Neuer demeure le seul joueur de la Mannschaft présent en 2026 à avoir déjà remporté la compétition. À 40 ans, le gardien allemand continue d’incarner l’expérience et le leadership au sein de sa sélection.

La présence de ces 22 champions du monde apporte une dimension particulière à cette Coupe du Monde 2026. Habitués à gérer la pression des grands rendez-vous et forts d’une expérience unique, ils seront naturellement scrutés tout au long du tournoi. Reste à savoir si l’un d’entre eux parviendra à inscrire une nouvelle ligne à son palmarès ou si une nouvelle génération viendra s’emparer du trophée le plus prestigieux du football mondial.

The post Coupe du Monde 2026 : Neuer, Messi, Mbappé, ces joueurs qui ont déjà soulevé le trophée appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

NONGO- C’est une décision majeure que vient d’annoncer la direction du stade Petit Sory de Nongo. Désormais, toute activité culturelle ou artistique est formellement interdite dans l’enceinte de ce stade.

Ce qui veut dire, plus aucun concert ni spectacle ne se tiendra désormais au stade Petit Sory. Cette decison « est prise après des correspondances adressées par les autorités du pays en matière de spectacle et au regard des exigences administratives désormais applicables à ce type d’activité » explique la direction du stade.

Une décision qui ne sera pas sans conséquence, d’autant plus que l’infrastructure ouvrait régulièrement ses portes aux artistes qui y tenaient des concerts et des spectacles, à cause du manque criard d’endroit propice dédiés aux activités culturelles dans le pays.

Voici le communiqué d’interdiction