Bafana legend Siyabonga Sangweni has a stern message for Hugo Broos' men ahead of the Fifa 2026 World Cup. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Former Bafana Bafana defender Siyabonga Sangweni has challenged the current South African squad to embrace the responsibility of representing the nation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the tournament should never be approached as a personal showcase or overseas getaway.
Bafana are preparing for their first World Cup appearance since 2010 and will face a difficult Group A assignment alongside hosts Mexico, Czech Republic and South Korea.
With 30 days to go to the World Cup and excitement growing around the national team’s return to football’s grandest stage, Sangweni believes mentality and national pride will be just as important as talent once the tournament begins next month.
“The first thing our team needs to understand is that this is not an opportunity for a holiday or sightseeing or even to show themselves individually, they’re going there to represent the country and I think they must understand what it means to represent the country before going there.”
Although he did not feature during the tournament itself, Sangweni was part of the late Carlos Alberto Parreira’s 2010 World Cup squad that carried the hopes of a nation when South Africa hosted the competition for the first time on African soil.
The former Orlando Pirates and Golden Arrows defender says the current Hugo Broos group already possesses the quality needed to compete against the world’s best, particularly with several players performing consistently for clubs both locally and abroad.
“There’s a lot of players that are doing really well at their respective clubs all over the world as well, so to those that get the opportunity, they should grab it with both hands and represent the country in the correct manner."
South Africa will enter the tournament hoping to rewrite history. Bafana have never progressed beyond the group stages of a Fifa World Cup despite appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
In 2010, South Africa became the first host nation in the history of the competition to fail to reach the knockout stages after finishing third in their group behind Uruguay and Mexico despite collecting four points.
Sangweni, however, believes the current squad has enough ability and depth to finally break that barrier and secure a place in the last 16.
“It’s possible, this is football, I think we have a capable squad of players that can achieve that and that would be success as well.”
The former centre back also urged the players to draw inspiration from the fearless mentality often shown by African nations on the World Cup stage, where commitment and sacrifice frequently define performances.
“We have seen the mentality other nations use when approaching a World Cup, especially African countries as well, they die on the field and that’s what I wanna see from our team as wel.”
For Sangweni, the message to the current generation is simple. Talent may open the door, but only hunger, unity and sacrifice will give Bafana a realistic chance of making history in Mexico.