Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams says they are motivated to remain top of Group C when the whistle blows to end their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Benin.
South Africa has the chance to extend the gap with currently second-placed Benin to five points, should they beat them in Abidjan on Tuesday evening.
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It’s at the same venue, the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, where they secured the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal against DR Congo, which Williams admits, evokes some special memories for the squad.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be back, where we have wonderful memories from the previous AFCON, so it’s good to be here again,” Williams said.
“It’s going to be a tough one, Benin is a very good team, but we believe in our qualities, we believe in what we’ve been building over the last year, but we’re looking forward to the game.
“A tough game, a lot of challenges, but the team is strong enough to overcome all these challenges, we’re excited, looking forward to it, we know how vital and important this game is for Group C, we know we can open a gap, and we know a gap can be closed as well.
“So, this is a big game in this qualifying rounds, it’s the halfway mark now and after tomorrow you will have an idea who the favourites are in the group. We want to be there and stay on top of this group.”
While they were unable to go for MD-1 training at the venue due to Ivory Coast hosting The Gambia at the stadium for the 21h00 kick-off, Williams says there’s huge motivation from the squad to continue their winning run against the West Africans.
“There’s not much I need to say, we know these are World Cup qualifiers, we all have big dreams to be there next year, and just sitting on top of the log, the standings at the moment, it’s huge motivation in itself,” he said.
“For us, it’s just to make sure that when this qualifying campaign is over, we’re on top, so that is the motivation going into the game, that when the final whistle goes, we’re still on top. We’ve worked so hard, we’ve had an almost perfect campaign, bar the Rwanda game but that’s how football is and we’re just excited and happy we’ve turned it around.
“We didn’t start on a good note, but we’ve turned it around collecting maximum points in our last few games so that is the motivation, just to stay on top.”
