Bafana Bafana secure international friendly matches against CONCACAF opponents ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup

Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with coach Hugo Broos being the first coach to take them to this competition after Carlos Queiroz guided them to the 2002 edition, although Jomo Sono took charge of South Africa at the tournament.

They are in Group A with co-hosts Mexico, South Korea and the winner of the playoff involving the winner from a UEFA play-off.

As part of preparations for the World Cup, South Africa have now secured back-to-back international friendly matches with a team from the CONCACAF region.

"Bafana Bafana will face Panama in two international friendly matches to be played in South Africa between 27-31 March 2026, as part of the South African national team’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup," SAFA announced in a statement.

"The matches form a critical component of head coach Hugo Broos’s build-up programme ahead of the global tournament, which will be hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026."

Panama are from the CONCACAF region and will also be at the World Cup after topping Group A in their qualification campaign.

They qualified from a group that had Suriname, Guatemala and El Salvador with a 100 percent record after winning all their games.

At the World Cup, they will be in Group L together with England, Croatia and Ghana.

Known as The Red Tide, Panama are coached by Denmark-born former Spain international forward Thomas Christiansen.

At number 33 on the FIFA world rankings, Panama are placed better than Bafana who are positioned 60th globally. 

After a difficult campaign at the 2025 AFCON, Broos might have a rethink of his team selection and tactics for a better outing at the World Cup.

Coming up against Panama is expected to give them the experience needed at the global stage.