The world football governing body has charged South Africa in a development that could decide matters in Group C of the bid to qualify for the quadrennial global competition. That leaves the men at Nasrec preparing a legal battle to defend the work that has been done by Hugo Broos and his men so far in this campaign to go to the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Raymond Mdaka will be hoping the absence of his two key players will not be felt and his team will manage without them just as they did when they lifted the 2025 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations. However, the two's exclusion shows how they have improved to be considered as having grown to be above the youth football tournament.

After previously ignoring players from the Soweto giants side, Broos called up two stars from Amakhosi in Bafana's last international engagements.

The Bucs' defender is one of the players tipped to make big moves out of the country soon, but he has been discouraged from seeing England as the best destination.

The youngster has defied the odds to compete at the highest level for both the Buccaneers and the national team.