Mbekezeli Mbokazi will miss the remainder of the 2026 Major League Soccer season after Chicago Fire confirmed that the South Africa defender requires surgery on a thigh injury.
The 20-year-old centre-back sustained the injury while playing for the American club and has been ruled out for the rest of the calendar year. Chicago Fire manager Gregg Berhalter confirmed the extent of the problem and said the team would now have to find a way to cope without one of its key defenders.
“Mbo being out for the year is a tough one,” Berhalter told Apple TV as per MLS Soccer.
“It’s really about the next person stepping up and being a team that’s hard to score on. Closing the spaces, being compact.
“We’re working on that now, and I think today you’re going to see that.”
Mbokazi’s absence was confirmed after Chicago Fire secured a 2-0 victory over Necaxa in Leagues Cup 2026. The goals were scored by defenders Jonathan Dean and Andrew Gutman, helping the club begin dealing with the loss of the Bafana Bafana international.
The injury is a significant setback for both Chicago Fire and South Africa. Mbokazi will be unavailable when Bafana Bafana resume their campaign in September and October for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He is expected to miss at least four qualifying matches. South Africa’s third and fourth fixtures are scheduled to take place in November, after the opening rounds in September and October.
The earliest likely opportunity for Mbokazi to return to international duty will come in March 2027, when Bafana Bafana are due to play matchdays five and six of the qualifying campaign.
His injury also comes at a difficult time in his club career, with growing interest in his services from teams in Europe’s top five leagues. Mbokazi could potentially leave Chicago Fire, with clubs from those leagues continuing to make enquiries about him.
That interest follows his impressive displays for South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. His performances for the national team have increased his profile and attracted attention from clubs outside Major League Soccer.
For now, however, Chicago Fire must prepare for the remainder of the season without the powerful defender, while South Africa will have to manage their AFCON qualifying campaign without him. Berhalter said the immediate priority was to make the team more difficult to break down by remaining compact and limiting the spaces available to opponents.