End of the road for Thembinkosi Lorch's AFCON and World Cup dreams as Bafana Bafana's Hugo Broos ignores the in-form winger yet again

The Belgian mentor has proven numerous times that he doesn’t believe in Lorch and his qualities despite the winger raising his hand as one of the best attackers on the African continent.

Lorch has hit a rich vein of form in recent times; however, his efforts have not changed Broos' mind.

Moreover, the veteran coach has been accused of favouritism after failing to call up other in-form players such as Bradley Grobler, and Gift Links, among many others.

When questioned on his squad selections in early October ahead of the final World Cup Qualifying matches, the Bafana boss refused to engage with the topic.

“I’m very sorry, but I’m not gonna explain to you every time why Grobler is not there, why the other [Lorch] is not there, no!" he told the media.

“This is a selection and that’s it," he concluded.

The new talent that has been emerging in the PSL for the past couple of seasons has seemingly affected the chances of having Lorch in the national team.

In his position, Bafana have been using players such as Relebohile Mofokeng, Tshepang Moremi, Patrick Maswanganyi, Mohau Nkota, and Kamogelo Sebelebele.

With Pirates star Mofokeng currently experiencing a dip in form and being left out of the squad, this would have been the perfect opportunity to give Lorch a chance to show what he can do in the Green and Gold.

During his time with Pirates and Sundowns, Lorch was often in the news for the wrong reasons, which could be something that is still lingering on Broos’ mind.

A few years ago, the Bloemfontein-born midfielder was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. As a result, the off-pitch issues affected his contribution on the pitch, leading to the loss of form, which he has only recently rediscovered during his time in North Africa.

If there’s an example that proves that everyone deserves a chance, it is Sipho Mbule’s move to Pirates, which saw him regain his best abilities and return to the Bafana squad to play an important role in the successful World Cup Qualifying campaign.

With Lorch aged 32, his chances of representing the SA national team are diminishing as time goes by. 

However, at the moment, Lorch is near the peak of his abilities, and would surely be a useful option for Bafana's AFCON squad, especially with his experience of local conditions in Morocco in December.

Bafana will also take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico and it was at the Club World Cup in America that Lorch showed himself the equal of the global superstars who participated, and got to familiarise himself with the searing heat that dominates North America in the summer months.

While there’s no confirmation on the length of Mofokeng’s injury, Lorch has all the qualities to fit in the Bafana squad like a hand in a glove.

The 21-year-old Pirates star has been out of action due to an injury that kept him out of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda earlier this month.

In addition, Lorch and Mofokeng have a similar style of play that is characterised by running at defenders, playing in short spaces, and the creativity to score goals.

It remains to be seen whether Hugo Broos will swallow his pride and look to incorporate Lorch in the Bafana squad for either AFCON or the FIFA World Cup, but it looks unlikely given Lorch seems to be at the very bottom of the list of players Broos trusts in the national team colours.

THEMBINKOSI LORCH

BAFANA BAFANA

HUGO BROOS

AFCON

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP