South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has named a 32-man preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with six players set to be cut before the final travelling party is confirmed on Wednesday.
The final 26-man squad will be announced at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, where Broos will appear alongside Cyril Ramaphosa and Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Association.
South Africa will leave for Mexico on 31 May before beginning their World Cup campaign against hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on 11 June.
It will be Bafana Bafana’s first appearance at the World Cup since 2010, when the tournament was staged on home soil.
The preliminary squad contains few unexpected selections, with captain Ronwen Williams retaining his place as first-choice goalkeeper after cementing the role under Broos over the past two years.
Williams arrives in camp after an influential display in Rabat, where he saved a penalty during the CAF Champions League final. Midfielders Teboho Mokoena and Jayden Adams also enter the tournament preparations on a high after helping their club side secure continental success.
Much of the squad is drawn from South Africa’s two dominant clubs this season. Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns each contribute nine players to the provisional list, underlining their influence on the national side during Broos’s tenure.
Pirates won the Betway Premiership and completed a domestic treble, while Sundowns lifted the CAF Champions League trophy. Together, the two clubs provide 18 of the 32 selected players.
Kaizer Chiefs, who finished third in the league, have four representatives in the squad.
Preparations for the tournament have been compressed by the timing of the CAF Champions League final, with the Sundowns contingent joining the rest of the squad in Johannesburg a day later than the other players.
According to the South African Football Association, training camp began on Monday with 24 players, while the remaining Sundowns group was scheduled to report on Tuesday.
Among the most discussed selection decisions is the inclusion of striker Iqraam Rayners.
The forward finished as the highest-scoring South African player in the Betway Premiership with 12 goals and was second overall in the division. Despite previously missing out on selection earlier in the season, Broos has now turned to the striker ahead of the World Cup.
Rayners joins attacking options including Lyle Foster, Oswin Appollis, Relebohile Mofokeng and Evidence Makgopa.
In contrast, defender Keanu Cupido was omitted despite strong club performances in recent months and his involvement in the CAF Champions League final.
Broos instead opted for centre-back options including Grant Kekana, Siyabonga Ngezana, Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Ime Okon.
South Africa have been placed in Group A alongside Mexico, South Korea and the Czech Republic.
The opening match against Mexico in front of an expected crowd of 87,000 at the Azteca is likely to present the toughest challenge of the group stage. Further fixtures against the Czech Republic in Atlanta on 15 June and South Korea in Monterrey on 19 June are viewed as more favourable opportunities to collect points.
Since taking charge in 2021, Broos has overseen 24 wins, 19 draws and six defeats, while South Africa have climbed from 75th to 61st in the FIFA rankings.
The Belgian coach has developed a side built around defensive organisation and disciplined game management, but the World Cup will provide the clearest measure yet of how competitive his team can be on football’s biggest stage.
South Africa will play a send-off match against Nicaragua at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday before departing for Mexico the following day.
