World Cup hunger: Broos waves off travel fatigue, hails Bafana 'warriors' ready for Rwanda battle

One might expect considerable concern over the quick turnaround of playing two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers within a span of three days.

However, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos expressed no qualms.

Instead, he lauded his players as "warriors" for navigating through such challenging circumstances, highlighting their resilience and adaptability in managing the demanding schedule of back-to-back matches.

South Africa beat Benin convincingly despite the slender 2-1 scoreline, courtesy of goals from Percy Tau and Khuliso Mudau, on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, in which Broos himself was impressed with the crowd turnout of nearly 15 000-strong football-loving fans.

On Tuesday, Bafana faces a different threat as they take on Rwanda in Huye (formerly Butare).   

Following their clash with Benin, the team promptly journeyed from KwaZulu-Natal to Johannesburg. Then, on Sunday, they embarked on a lengthy five-hour flight to Rwanda, arriving around 21:00 in Kigali.

The arduous journey continued with a three-hour bus drive to Huye, with the team reaching their final destination at approximately 01:30 on Monday.

In contrast, Rwanda enjoyed the advantage of not having to travel for their initial match against Zimbabwe, which was a home fixture last Wednesday. This gave them a more comfortable six-day turnaround time, a notable contrast to South Africa's condensed three-day turnaround time.

A deeper look at the scenario will make anyone think that this is a demanding travel schedule and adds challenge to their preparations for the upcoming match in Rwanda.

Broos remained optimistic about playing at the Huye grounds on synthetic grass and only questioned why the match could not be in Kigali.

"It was not an easy travel like it