The roar at Mbombela carried a message that South Africa had arrived, a 3-0 win over Rwanda paired with Nigeria thrashing Benin signalled a triumphant Bafana Bafana World Cup Qualification that few will forget. It took nerve, clarity and a team that understands itself, and when the final whistles sounded in Nelspruit and Uyo the arithmetic gave South Africa top spot in Group C by a single point.
How the final night was won
Bafana needed help, and they got it from Uyo where Victor Osimhen hit a hat-trick in Nigeria’s 4-0 win over Benin that kept the door open. At Mbombela, Hugo Broos’ side kicked that door off its hinges with a controlled, confident performance that reflected months of growth.
Thalente Mbatha set the night alight with an early strike, finishing after an Oswin Appollis pass that goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari could only push into his own net. The second was a moment of pure quality, Evidence Makgopa robbed possession on the edge of the box and Appollis whipped a superb finish into the top corner.
The third sealed it and underlined South Africa’s set-piece threat, Appollis swung in a precise corner and Makgopa rose to power home a header beyond Ntwari. There were other flashes too, Mohau Nkota drew a sharp save and Khuliso Mudau fired inches wide, while Sipho Mbule saw a deflected effort creep past the post.
Hugo Broos finds his full circle
For Broos, this is the arc of a football life. He played at the World Cup for Belgium in Mexico in 1986, now he is heading back to the biggest stage as a head coach, four decades on and still chasing the game’s best feelings.
“It feels wonderful,” Broos told SABC TV after the match. “We all knew we could do it, we believed in ourselves, you saw that from the beginning of the game.”
“Nigeria did what they had to do and we did what we had to do so we go to the World Cup.”
“There are no words to express what I feel now. The end of my career as a player was at the World Cup, and now I will end my career as a coach at the World Cup. What is more fantastic? Let’s enjoy it.”
He also looked forward with typical steel, highlighting that age matters less than a collective attitude and ability. “Age doesn’t matter, it is about talent and mentality, that makes a good team,” he said, adding that the future of South African football looks bright.
The long road from November 2023
This campaign began in November 2023, and it ended with South Africa finishing a point ahead of Nigeria and Benin at the summit. It is the first time Bafana have made it through qualifying to a World Cup since 2002 under Carlos Queiroz, which underscores the weight of the achievement.
It did not come easy. A Fifa sanction for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena in March cost South Africa three points, a heavy blow that could have derailed a more fragile group. Instead, Broos and his players steadied themselves, and the squad’s response to the three point deduction became a marker of their resilience.
Key performers who carried the load
Veteran leadership, fresh legs and a clever blend of roles pushed this team forward. The player ratings across the campaign reflect that balance, and several figures stood out when it mattered.
- Ronwen Williams’ consistency and calm, the captain was the only ever-present and anchored the back line with decisive handling and leadership,
- Oswin Appollis’ breakout influence, two goals, four assists and a stream of dangerous set-piece deliveries made him the tone-setter in attack,
- Evidence Makgopa’s selfless centre forward craft, tireless pressing, a crucial assist and a clinching header against Rwanda.
There were other vital strands to the story. Lyle Foster contributed two goals and an assist before injury struck in the goalless draw against Zimbabwe in Durban, his absence for Rwanda opened a pathway for Orlando Pirates’ Makgopa to lead the line. Ashley Cupido was called up as Foster’s replacement and came on late against Rwanda, the Stellenbosch forward had opened his Bafana account in a June friendly against Mozambique.
In midfield, Teboho Mokoena remained Broos’ trusted heartbeat, a relentless presence who knits the structure together. Thalente Mbatha added timely goals and energy, his opener against Rwanda was the spark that eased the nerves and validated the selection calls.
At full back, Aubrey Modiba gave drive and service from the left, while Khuliso Mudau provided thrust on the right and scored back in the opening qualifying win over Benin. In central defence, Nkosinathi Sibisi featured heavily in clean, hard-nosed performances that restricted opponents to scraps.
A night of redemption in Mbombela
Mbombela has hosted South Africa’s ecstasy and its errors. The memory of 2011, when a goalless draw with Sierra Leone was mistakenly celebrated as qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations due to a misread of the rules, still lingers over the Lowveld air.
This time the maths was right and the football was ruthless. The win over Rwanda was emphatic and measured, and it was accompanied by the right mood, a quiet assurance that the work had truly been done.
What comes next for South Africa
There is a runway to two major stages. South Africa can start preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of the year, then the 2026 World Cup arrives across the USA, Canada and Mexico. Broos’ group has already shown tournament steel after finishing third at the last AFCON, and this qualification only deepens that belief.
Across the globe, the list of nations already booking tickets gives a sense of the company awaiting Bafana. Africa’s places include Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia, while the hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States are in place along with heavyweights from Asia, Europe, Oceania and South America.
Three turning points that shaped qualification
- Mbatha’s early strike against Rwanda set the tone, Bafana played on the front foot and never let up,
- Nigeria’s 4-0 win over Benin changed the calculus, Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick delivered the help South Africa needed,
- The response to the Fifa sanction showed a team with a granite core, a group that refused self pity and chose solutions.
The Broos effect and the belief within
Even before kickoff against Rwanda, Broos asked his players to focus on what they could control. He acknowledged the need for help from elsewhere, yet the messaging stayed clear and calm, a coach insulating his team from noise while sharpening their purpose.
After the job was done, his words were about gratitude and perspective. He stressed that what carried Bafana was not the date on a birth certificate but the blend of mentality and talent, the cohesion that comes from a shared plan and a shared load.
Governance shadow that refuses to fade
On the administrative front, there are unresolved questions. After Fifa deducted three points for the ineligible Mokoena, the South African Football Association apologised but described the ruling as unprecedented, which missed the mark and muddied accountability.
There is also scrutiny on SAFA president Danny Jordaan. He is on trial over allegations that he embezzled R1.3 million from SAFA for public relations and security costs, following the separate rape allegation made by Jennifer Ferguson in 2017. Against this backdrop, Jordaan has been appointed to Fifa’s Men’s National Teams competitions committee, a juxtaposition that speaks to the moral knots in the global game.
Whatever the boardroom turbulence, this qualification belongs to the footballers and the technical team. Their work has been the antidote to off-field noise, and the clarity of their performances has redrawn expectations for what South African football can demand of itself.
Why this matters beyond the score
Qualifying is the fuel for a rising standard. It gives players a stage, accelerates development and lights imaginations across the country, from school pitches to packed stadiums where new heroes emerge and veterans pass on the baton.
It also sharpens the conversation about structures and support. The job now is to preserve the unity that powered this journey, to keep the technical plan intact and to ensure that the inevitable hurdles are met with the same composure that steadied the team after the sanction.
At a glance
- Score at Mbombela, South Africa 3-0 Rwanda,
- Result in Uyo, Nigeria 4-0 Benin with a Victor Osimhen hat-trick,
- Group C finish, South Africa on top by a single point.
The final word
This was not qualification by accident, it was earned by an identity that has hardened game by game. It started in November 2023, survived a self-inflicted setback, then surged over the final hurdle with authority.
In the quiet after the noise, one scene lingers, Broos smiling wide under the Mbombela lights as players embrace around him. The journey began years ago, the destination is now real, and South Africa is going to the World Cup with a team that has found its voice and its edge.
