Has Brayan Leon's arrival and top form killed Bafana Bafana forward Iqraam Rayners' 2026 FIFA World Cup dreams? Ex-Mamelodi Sundowns star responds

Mamelodi Sundowns forward Iqraam Rayners has struggled for game time, especially after the 2025 AFCON break.

He has featured in just two of eight Masandawana matches in 2026 as coach Miguel Cardoso sidelines him.

The 30-year-old started the season on fire, scoring six Premier Soccer League goals in 12 games.

Even after fears that the former Stellenbosch man has a heart condition and risks suffering a cardiac arrest were dismissed, he is now being frozen out.

He was even dropped from the AFCON squad by Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.

The January arrival of Colombian striker Brayan Leon has complicated life for Rayners and could doom his 2026 FIFA World Cup ambitions.

Leon has been in terrific form and recently scored two successive braces in crucial matches.

Former Sundowns midfielder Brent Carelse has noted how Rayners is now having limited playing opportunities after the arrival of Leon.

"Look, it [going to the World Cup] all depends if he's given the opportunity again [at Sundowns] and what he does with that opportunity," Carelse told Soccer Laduma.

"I think a lot of players at Sundowns know that's the case, you know. If you're given an opportunity, can you take it? And if you take it, will you remain there?

"So there's a lot of rotation. Yes, we understand they've got a big squad, but I'm sure the likes of Rayners and other players who want to see themselves at the World Cup would surely want to be playing as soon as possible."

Ordinarily, a team that has Leon and Rayners would be boasting of a monstrous and most feared strike force terrorising opponents in both the Premier Soccer League and CAF Champions League.

With the backing of the likes of Arthur Sales, Lebo Mothiba, and Peter Shalulile, Sundowns would be the most prolific and lethal side.

But Cardoso has rather been lamenting that his men are missing a glut of chances.