Kaizer Chiefs' Lebogang Maboe produced some "polished" performances that led to his selection to the Bafana Bafana preliminary squad.
Image: AFP
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has finally announced his 32-member preliminary squad for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, with Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns boasting the highest representation, while Kaizer Chiefs players also made a rare appearance.
Broos is set to announce his final squad on May 27 at the Union Buildings, which could include up to 26 players, with a minimum of 23.
In the provisional squad announced by Broos on Thursday night, there were no major surprises. His main suppliers over the past few years, Pirates and Sundowns, dominated the list with nine players each.
The strong presence of the two teams reflects their dominance this season. Pirates are in line to win three domestic trophies, which would be completed by the Betway Premiership after already winning the MTN8 and Carling Knockout respectively. Sundowns, meanwhile, are on course to win the CAF Champions League crown.
Chiefs, who have been overlooked by Broos in the past, have four representatives: Thabiso Monyane, Brandon Petersen, Bradley Cross and Lebohang Maboe.
Petersen’s inclusion has created a potential goalkeeping selection headache for Broos, who has also picked his previous mainstay goalkeepers Ronwen Williams, Sipho Chaine, and Ricardo Goss.
Petersen has been in fine form for Chiefs, helping his team secure a third-place finish in the league. His performances have sparked debate over which two goalkeepers Broos will select between him, Chaine and Goss, to deputise No 1 and captain Williams at the global showpiece.
Meanwhile, there was no place for Sundowns defender Keanu Cupido in Broos’ preliminary squad, despite calls for the centre-back to be included after impressive displays in Sundowns’ bid to win the continental crown.
Goss, who was speaking during Siwelele’s media open day in Johannesburg this week ahead of their season finale away to Sekhukhune United on Saturday afternoon (3pm) admitted that he dreams of being part of the team that’ll represent the nation in North America next month.
“I think it's every footballer's dream to represent the country, especially at the World Cup, so it's also been my dream to actually take part in the World Cup, so no pressure,” Goss explained.
Goss knows that it won’t be easy to get the nod for the final squad, stressing that Broos will have a selection headache given the quality at his disposal.
Chaine has enjoyed a dream season at Orlando Pirates, keeping a record-extending 20 clean sheets so far in the team’s Betway Premiership title challenge, while Petersen has been a knight in shining armour for Chiefs, with his 15 clean sheets helping secure third place for his side.
“Obviously it's been difficult (to compete for a spot),” Goss said. “I think you can see the quality of goalkeeping this season has gone up a bit.
“You can even see the number of clean sheets has increased. I don't think we've had more than 15 clean sheets per goalkeeper for three goalkeepers in one season – I'm not sure about that record.”
The rise in goalkeeping standards augurs well for Bafana, given that in the past some called for top-flight clubs to avoid selecting foreign goalkeepers in order to help curb the shortage of quality goalkeepers for the national team.