Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says their preparation for Benin has been good and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier can be the catalyst fixture to secure their ticket to the global showpiece.
South Africa takes on second place Benin tomorrow after arriving in Abidjan yesterday evening, while they will not be able to have a MD-1 training at the same venue, which Broos lamented, he’s confident they can return to Mzansi with three important points.
Benin dropped two points against Zimbabwe on Friday to create a two-point gap for Bafana at the top of Group C, while Nigeria, who will be aiming to fight until the end, are four points behind.
“We’re ready for the game tomorrow, we played a good game on Friday against Lesotho, a very difficult game and we know tomorrow will be difficult again, Benin is a good team,” Broos said.
“They played a draw on Friday [against Zimbabwe] so they are two points behind us but qualification for the World Cup in Africa is very difficult, you can never tell before a game you will win it, you have to fight for every metre, every ball, every point you need.
“So tomorrow [against Benin] will be no different, we will play against a good team, we know that, but on the other side we’re confident in ourselves, if you see the progression of South Africa in the last year, it’s enormous, so we’re confident.
“This can be a key day, imagine we win tomorrow, Benin will be five points behind already, Nigeria is already at four points and we will see what will happen in the other games, it can be a key day – we will do everything to win.”
The two sides meet at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Tuesday at 18h00.
