Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
2026 World Cup qualifiers
CAF Group C
Matchday 5
South Africa v Lesotho
Peter Mokaba Stadium
Polokwane, South Africa
Friday, 21 March 2025
Kick-off is at 18:00
South Africa will continue their quest for a place in the next
World Cup when they go up against neighbouring country Lesotho in a qualifying match set to be played at the revamped Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday evening.
Bafana Bafana sits second in Group C, having earned seven points from two victories, a draw, and a single defeat against Rwanda.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos is confident that the team can take a huge step towards World Cup qualification if they can pick up maximum points over the next week against Lesotho and Benin.
"I think we can make a big step to qualification [if Bafana win both games], I am sure,” says Broos as quoted by SAFA media.
“But we have to do it, so again these are very important games, very tough games, because don’t underestimate Lesotho, maybe not on quality but on mentality.”
Percy Tau has returned to the international team fold after being left out of the squad in the last two FIFA breaks. Burnley striker Lyle Foster also made the final cut for the crucial matches in the coming days.
Broos stated his rationale for omitting Tau from the squad, emphasising the importance of game time. "Al Ahly is a fantastic club, but you have to play," Broos remarked.
He expressed long-held concerns about Tau's situation, adding, "I always felt that he was not in the right place. It’s great to have Percy back after such a long time. At his previous club, he barely played. The fewer games he played, the harder it became. This is not good for a player."
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
Lesotho coach Leslie Notsi is eyeing improvement in the qualifiers, with the 60-year-old stating that they are trying to give local players an opportunity to represent their country.
“Bafana Bafana had great results at the last two Afcon in Ivory Coast, they did very well. They've been very consistent,” he added.
“They have some really talented players in that team, and their team is mostly made up of players doing very well at their respective clubs and also in the CAF Champions League, as well as they have one of the best coaches around.
“We're expecting a tougher encounter in their own backyard. But at the same time, we're saying, ‘look, as a small footballing country, here's an opportunity to progress, to go in there, give it our all’. It's an opportunity for our boys to improve.”
2026 CAF World Cup qualifiers Matchday 5 Fixtures
Wednesday 19 March
16:00: Tanzania v Congo Brazzaville
18:00 Central African Republic v Madagascar
18:00 Eswatini v Cameroon
18:00 Liberia v Tunisia
Thursday 20 March
15:00: Mozambique v Uganda
18:00: Cape Verde v Mauritius
18:00: Malawi v Namibia
18:00: Sierra Leone v Guinea Bissau
18:00: Zimbabwe v Benin
21:00: Gabon v Seychelles
21:00: Gambia v Kenya
21:00: Libya v Angola
23:00: Comoros v Mali
Friday 21 March
15:00: Botswana v Algeria
15:00: Equatorial Guinea v Sao Tome and Principe
18:00: Burkina Faso v Djibouti
18:00: DR Congo v South Sudan
18:00: Rwanda v Nigeria
18:00: South Africa v Lesotho
21:00: Burundi v Ivory Coast
21:00: Ghana v Chad
23:00: Ethiopia v Egypt
23:00: Guinea v Somalia
23:30: Niger v Morocco
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