Experienced stars set to dominate Broos’ 23-member Bafana squad against Zambia

Hugo Broos is set to put his head on the block later this week, and announce the final 23-member squad that will face Zambia in an international friendly next Saturday.

Although there are a couple of new faces in the 43-member preliminary squad, Broos is expected to stick with tried and tested players for the friendly as he begins planning for the AFCON finals in Morocco next month.

Not widening the selection pool by choosing mostly familiar players for the clash against Chipolopolo could backfire, especially if his regulars are ruled out of the continental showpiece due to form or injuries in the coming weeks.

However, such is the depth of the squad Broos has assembled in the last few months that it would be a rare occurrence for him to be without his starters and cover players heading into camp on December 8 at the University of Pretoria High Performance Centre.

If anything, Broos is likely to have a clean bill of health. The Bafana team is largely made up of players from Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, with a sprinkling of personnel from other domestic and international clubs.

Pirates will juggle two domestic competitions before AFCON: the Betway Premiership and the Carling Knockout. This comes after they failed to qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage, losing on penalties to St. Eloi Lupopo.

Broos has emphasised that it’s always beneficial for the national team when more players have continental football experience – a factor evident when Bafana recently qualified for AFCON and the 2026 Fifa World Cup after Sundowns and Pirates reached the Champions League final and semi-final, respectively, last season.

The silver-haired coach will not have to look far for continental experience this season though, as Sundowns, Stellenbosch, and Kaizer Chiefs all qualified for the group stages of their respective continental competitions.

Expectations for Bafana at AFCON are high. After all, they were third-place finishers in the last edition - their first podium in more than two decades.

AFCON will also serve as Bafana’s competitive preparation for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This will mark Bafana’s return to the tournament since qualifying as hosts in 2010. The last time they automatically qualified was in 2002.

In both their previous automatic qualifications, Bafana failed to progress beyond the group stage. As a result, they may look to the U20s – Amajita – for advice. The junior national team reached the second round of the World Cup in 2009 and again this year. While they performed admirably in Chile despite limited preparation, Broos feels that the majority of those players are not yet ready for Bafana.

This is somewhat of a contrast as Broos has been an advocate for giving young players a chance in the national team. However, the 73-year-old has emphasized that only players who are truly ready will earn a call-up.

Broos appears determined to take his regulars to AFCON, with only a few new players set to come in to cover for off-form squad members. This is why careful planning for the event is crucial.

The public will be watching the new faces that could come into the team for AFCON closely. Thembinkosi Lorch has been in fine form at Wydad Casablanca, and his experience both domestically and internationally could prove valuable in Morocco, where he's based.