Team spirit and strong mentality will be crucial for Bafana ahead of must-win qualifier

The camaraderie between the players and the overall team spirit will be crucial to Bafana Bafana’s chances of qualifying for the Fifa World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Bafana began the qualifiers strongly but have since found themselves on the back foot after being docked three points by Fifa and drawing their penultimate qualifier against Zimbabwe last Friday. As a result, they head into their final qualifier against Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night needing a win, while also hoping the result of the Nigeria vs Benin fixture goes in their favour.

Broos emphasised that achieving their target will depend on the players having faith and trust in each other.

“The team spirit is the most important thing. The mentality is the most important thing next to quality,” Broos said. “So, for that reason, it’s not important who plays. It’s important that we have a team on the pitch.

“It was important that we had a team on Friday, and I think we had a team. If luck was on our side, I think we could have won the game, and we would be telling a different story. But still, we must win. There’s no change in that.”

Striker Lyle Foster faced criticism after missing chances in the last game, but Broos defended him, saying he remains a key player for the team.

“I think Lyle has become a very important player for us, and we need to admit that,” Broos said. “He was a little bit unlucky last Friday, considering that he nearly scored in recent games. He’s a very important player.

“For me, every player is important in the team. Last Friday, there were questions about Relebohile Mofokeng not being there. I think the players who are here can give me what I want. We want to achieve the victory.”