Former Bafana Bafana striker Katlego Mphela makes bold prediction about Bafana before 2026 World Cup draw

Bafana Bafana, returning to the World Cup after 16 years, have reignited hope across the nation with their improved performances in recent competitions. This qualification alone is a testament to their resilience and demonstrates that the South African team has what it takes to mount a strong challenge under the guidance of Hugo Broos.

While Bafana face a significant task as they prepare to kick off the Africa Cup of Nations later this month, the tournament will serve as an opportunity to go all the way and continue proving their prowess in preparation for the even bigger challenge of the World Cup.

With all the impressive work Bafana Bafana have shown, former striker Katlego 'Killer' Mphela is filled with confidence, trusting that the team has what it takes to be a formidable threat against their opponents.

He emphasised that any player ready to represent the country at the time should be given the opportunity, provided the team maintains the same fighting spirit and characteristic determination.

“It’s important,” Mphela told IOL.

“Personally, it doesn’t matter where you play. We’ve seen before that it can work, and sometimes it might not. So, I think whoever is in form or deserves to be in the national team at that time must be given a chance. The most important thing is the core of the team — it doesn’t matter who’s playing where. We’ve seen it with other national teams as well.”

He added that Broos’ players will first have to assert their dominance in the AFCON, a task he believes will not be easy.

“It would be very good to do that,” he added.

“It’s going to be difficult now. We are not seen as underdogs anymore. You can hear from interviews that other nations don’t want to face South Africa now. We are up there with them. So, also thanks to the PSL for raising the standard of the league.”

The Brits-born former player who scored for Bafana Bafana in their famous 2-1 win over France in the 2010 World Cup also highlighted the challenges that will come in the World Cup, emphasising that the team must prepare accordingly.

“The World Cup is a different beast altogether — there are all these big nations and players that you’ll face,” he said.

“Some you’ve never faced before, and you need that experience. But we also had Parreira, who had experience with the group, and we still didn’t go far.

"So, it’s a matter of applying yourself according to the demands of the situation and taking things game by game. Analyse the opponent as much as you can. They still have a few months (more than half a year) to do that. It’ll be enough time to prepare.”

“That’s a must!” Mphela continued.

“After the draw, they’ll know who they are playing. They might play against Japan or Brazil — you never know. All they must ensure is that next year we play friendlies against similar types of opponents.

"They don’t necessarily have to play against the same nations, but they need to be reasonable. Even teams in the PSL or the Champions League do that when they go to pre-season or prepare for tournaments.”

Despite the teams they may be drawn against for the World Cup, Bafana Bafana’s immediate priority will shift to Morocco, where they are expected to hit the ground running against Angola on December 22, before tackling their next challenge against Egypt and attempting to resolve their unfinished business against Zimbabwe, with hopes of going all the way to the final and bring the trophy home .