Bafana Bafana's coach Hugo Broos warns of Lesotho threat ahead of World Cup qualifier - 'They have a fantastic mentality, they fight for every metre, they fight for every ball'

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has explained why his players should be wary of threats posed by Lesotho during their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Although South Africa are viewed as the pre-match favourites, Broos has warned against underestimating their neighbours.

Citing other games where teams viewed as underdogs shocked bigger rivals, the tactician said Bafana are going to face a tough opponent that does not stop fighting.

Looking at FIFA rankings, a giant gap separates both South Africa and Lesotho; the former are ranked 57th while the latter are 149th globally. Although it is a statistical fact that Bafana are favourites to win in Polokwane, Broos does not take solace in that.

In Group C, only two points separate South Africa, with seven points, from Lesotho, who have five.

“It becomes a habit here in Africa that you’re never sure about a victory before the game,” said Broos in a press conference on Thursday.

“We saw it yesterday: Cameroon against Eswatini, 0-0. Tomorrow we have an opponent that we don’t have to underestimate because they played in September against Morocco and lost 1-0 in the 93rd minute.

“They [Lesotho] played more than a year ago in Nigeria; they played 0-0. So that means that we are in front of a tough game tomorrow."

“On the other side, I think we have to be confident in our own qualities. We showed that last year. I think we can talk about maybe even a historical year with the bronze medal and good games qualification for the next AFCON," he added.

“But today this is all history. We don’t have to count on gifts from other teams. We have to do it ourselves starting with tomorrow. I think it’s very important for tomorrow that we keep ourselves on the game plan. It will not be easy from the beginning.

“Maybe, yes, if you are a little bit lucky, you can score very quickly and easily, one or two goals; it becomes another game. But I don’t think it will be like that tomorrow; we are in front of an opponent who fights for every meter, who fights for every ball," Broos warned.

“Maybe they don’t have our qualities; I’ll talk about football technical qualities, but they have a fantastic mentality. And that’s up to us to have the same mentality, the right mindset from the beginning of the game, and even when the game is not going like we expected, we have to keep ourselves on the game plan, because if we start doubting and a little bit what Cameron did in the last 20 minutes, I think, kicking the ball in front and much of the games, you don’t achieve what you want," Broos explained.

“So trying to keep ourselves in the game plan with the right mentality, the right mindset from the beginning, and then I think we can win against Lesotho. It should be a little disaster if you don’t win again tomorrow."

“We have to keep ourselves in the same position that we are now. With three points tomorrow, we can go to Benin for another three points," he concluded.

Group C is still very tight, and South Africa as well as Lesotho cannot afford to drop points in Polokwane.

This will be a huge test for Broos' charges ahead of their next game against Benin.