Pitso Mosimane says Bafana Bafana are already laying the foundations for the future by introducing a new generation of players while retaining the experience needed to compete at the highest level.
Mosimane inherited a squad that has undergone significant change since the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with injuries and the passing of Jayden Adams forcing the new head coach to look at younger options.
The Bafana boss handed opportunities to five players based abroad during the recent international window, with the likes of Relebohile Mofokeng and other emerging talents being integrated into the senior setup.
Mosimane believes the process of lowering the average age of the squad must be balanced with experience, pointing to Themba Zwane as an important figure in the transition.
“You must know from the team that came from the World Cup, it had five players out injured and we had one who passed on, may his soul rest in peace, Jayden, we had to bring in five new players, young players, from abroad, give them a chance,” Mosimane said.
“We need to give them opportunities to play, I’m happy one scored today to get the confidence, that’s all we wanted – so yeah, bring the age down, but also don’t focus too much on that, experience also helps.
“One of our most experienced players, Themba Zwane, he managed to get a chance because I would not like him not to play – after the red card he got at the World Cup, so bring him back, give him respect and confidence.”
Bafana have made an impressive start under Mosimane, scoring seven goals across their opening two matches of his second spell in charge.
While the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach is pleased with the attacking output, he stressed that the current group still has room for improvement.
“But the foundation is good, it’s the team that comes from the World Cup. We will improve the team, try to score more goals, you can never [not] be happy with seven goals in two games, very good,” he added.
The message from Mosimane is therefore clear: Bafana’s World Cup squad remains the foundation, but opportunities will be created for younger players to establish themselves alongside the team’s experienced core.