A section of the fans and football stakeholders in Mzansi have not been too happy with the 73-year-old Belgian, who, recently, named his 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) provisional squad, insisting there are players who should have made the team but were overlooked. The former international argues the tactician knows what he wants for his team.

The Bafana Bafana coach has previously revealed that he knows approximately 75-80% of his squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco. This means that there are some players who have not been Bafana regulars over the past few months who stand a chance of making the final squad.

The Belgian tactician has started preparations for the biennial continental competition to be played in Morocco from December 21 to January 18. The 73-year-old named his preliminary squad for the forthcoming international break in November, where he is expected to try some tactics and have a look at some new call-ups in his bid to expand the team's depth.

As Bafana prepare to take on Rwanda's Amavubi, a new player has been called up by Hugo Broos. This is a crucial game for Mzansi, but they will face their rivals without key stars, and this complicates their situation even more.

As Bafana Bafana's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes are on the brink of collapse, we look at key moments that led to the near-certain failure to qualify despite a campaign that seemed destined to end with the team competing in North America next year.

With the national team's bid to reach the quadrennial competition's finals in 2026 hanging in the balance after several recent setbacks, GOAL examines the reasons why South Africa has what it takes to win their remaining two matches to top Group C and qualify directly for the tournament in June next year.