Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says the team will be ready to face Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup this week.
The team has been training at its base camp in Pachuca, Mexico, since last week to help the players acclimatise to the altitude of 2,300 metres above sea level.
Since arriving, Bafana Bafana have been preparing for the global spectacle, with millions of football fans around the world expected to tune in.
Broos said the South African senior men’s national team is eager to embrace the occasion when it takes on 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosts Mexico in the tournament’s opening match at a packed Estadio Azteca on Thursday, 11 June 2026.
Asked for his view of the Mexico national team, Broos described the side as formidable and said Bafana Bafana would have to be at their best.
“They are dangerous in every area. It is a very complete team, with a lot of movement and strong team spirit. We will have to be at our best if we want a good result. I watched the game against Serbia, and the way they played, especially in the first half hour, was fantastic.
“Their movement, aggression and solidarity stand out. The whole team attacks and the whole team defends. They are a very complete side, and it will be very difficult for us on Thursday. But a football match is a football match.
“We must not think we have no chance against Mexico, because that is not true either. But we have to prepare very well and play at our best level,” the head coach said.
Although the team will play in a stadium filled mostly with Mexican supporters, Broos said Bafana Bafana know South Africans are backing them from home.
“We all know there will be many Mexicans in the stadium and perhaps only a few South Africans, so we cannot count on strong support inside the venue. But we do know we have the support of the nation.
“We felt that in recent days, and during the past week when we began our preparations in South Africa. The whole country is behind us, and we are playing for everyone who believes in us,” he said.
The coach was addressing members of the media ahead of the opening match.
Call to rally behind Bafana Bafana
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently called on South Africans to unite behind Bafana Bafana as the national men’s football team.
“They carry with them the best wishes of more than 62 million South Africans who will be cheering them on at every stage of the tournament. Bafana Bafana are taking part in the World Cup for the first time since we hosted the event in 2010,” the President said last Monday in his weekly newsletter to the nation.
The soccer tournament will be held in Mexico, the United States of America, and Canada.
President Ramaphosa said the country's journey mirrors that of the national football team, noting that South Africa has emerged from a challenging period and is looking ahead with renewed optimism.
“Much like the national squad, the country has emerged from a prolonged period of difficulty and now looks to the future with hope,” he said.
He pointed to the country's democratic progress, the strength of its Constitution, the launch of the National Dialogue process and signs of economic recovery as reasons for growing confidence in the future.
The President urged citizens to celebrate not only the team's achievements but also the progress South Africa has made in building a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
“So, as we cheer our team on from the stands, at fan zones and in our homes, we should also cheer ourselves on as a country. We should celebrate how far we have come in building a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa,” the President said.
He concluded by calling for unity as South Africans support the national team on the world stage.
“For 90 minutes, as they play for our country, we will not be divided by language, race, province, club or circumstance. For 90 minutes, as they play, we will simply be South Africans standing together behind our national team and behind our flag.
“One Team. One Nation. Behind Bafana. Behind South Africa. United by our Flag, inspired by our Team. 62 million cheering voices. One Dream,” the President said. -SAnews.gov.za
