Broos names Foster, Mofokeng in preliminary Bafana squad for World Cup qualifiers

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has named Burnley striker Lyle Foster, Percy Tau and Pirates teenager Relebohile Mofokeng in his 36-man preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe next month.

While youngster Mofokeng's name is a first on Broos' books, Foster was absent during Bafana's Africa Cup of Nations campaign due to mental health concerns. Tau returns to the squad after being rested during the FIFA Series in March.

Whether Foster's name makes it to the final squad remains to be seen, with Broos saying earlier this year he wanted to get to the bottom of the issues surrounding the striker's involvement in the national set-up.

South Africa resume their qualifying campaign away to the Super Eagles on Friday, 7 June (21:00 SA time) at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, before returning home to take on the Warriors.

The second match holds a massive significance as the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein (18:00) will be the first fixture in the province since the 2010 FIFA World Cup when Bafana beat France 2-1 in their final group stage match. 

That was also their last ever match at the global spectacle. Fast-forward 14 years later, they are vying for a ticket to the 2026 edition set to be staged in Mexico, Canada and the USA.

Currently, Bafana hold second spot in Group C following their 2-1 victory over Benin (sixth), but they had an unexpected setback in a 2-0 defeat to Rwanda (first) on a waterlogged pitch.

Nigeria (third), on the other hand, kicked off their campaign with two draws, securing a 1-1 result against Lesotho (fourth) and another 1-1 draw in Zimbabwe (fifth).

The 71-year-old Broos has continued to opt for familiarity as the core of his Africa Cup of Nations squad was