Bafana host FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho in Polokwane

Bafana Bafana to host FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho in Polokwane

Bafana Bafana will host their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane next month.

Bafana Bafana will host their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane next month. Image: BafanaBafana/X

Bafana Bafana will host their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane next month.

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“This match is not just another fixture on the football calendar, but it is a momentous occasion for our city, our province and of course for our country as we rally behind our boys in their quest to secure a spot in football’s grandest stage (the 2026 FIFA World Cup),” Limpopo Premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, said.

Coach Hugo Broos’s charges will face their Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) neighbours in the Limpopo province on Friday, 21 March.

The South African senior men’s national team will then fly to Benin by charter to face the West Africans in their following qualifier scheduled for Friday, 24 March.

Allay fears about the pitch

The Limpopo Provincial Government, led by the Premier, in collaboration with the South African Football Association (SAFA) held a media briefing to announce Polokwane as the venue of the match and also used the opportunity to allay fears about the readiness of the pitch to accommodate the crunch FIFA World Cup qualifier.

SAFA president Danny Jordaan said the association was happy to continue taking the senior men’s national team to different parts of the country, with Polokwane the latest to assume the responsibility.

“Hosting this game in Polokwane, Limpopo, is a continuation of our commitment to taking the team to different parts of the country. We hope to see the passionate and packed stadiums we saw in Mangaung, Gqeberha and Cape Town during the team’s unbeaten run in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last year. Now it is Polokwane’s turn to fill up the stadium,” Jordaan said.

The kick off time and ticketing information will be communicated by SAFA in the coming days.

Bafana Bafana have been been drawn in Group C for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers alongside Lesotho, Rwanda, Benin, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Due to nine CAF teams now directly qualifying instead of five, the CAF Executive Committee announced a new qualification format.

Teams were drawn into nine groups of six teams.

The winner of each group will directly qualify to the World Cup, while the four best group runners-up will participate in playoffs to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.