Patrick Maswanganyi goes around South Sudan goalkeeper Majak Maling to score the second Bafana goal in Cape Town. Photo: AYANDA NDAMANE Independent Newspapers
The time is now! That was the affirmation of coach Hugo Broos amid Bafana Bafana’s aspirations of qualifying for the 2026 Fifa World Cup after an impressive year.
Bafana had their best calendar year in a while in 2024.
They won bronze at the Afcon finals in January for the first time in more than two decades.
And that’s not all... The South Africans took things up a notch in the qualifiers for the Afcon finals in Morocco next year, finishing top of Group K with 14 points after four wins and two draws.
And having amassed six wins, nine draws and one defeat during the year, Bafana will want to build on that momentum heading into their next Fifa window next year.
In March, Bafana will resume with the World Cup qualifiers in which they’ve already won two games, drawn one and lost one as they sit second in Group C with seven points.
And with that loss having come late in November against table-toppers Rwanda, who are level with Broos’ men on points, Bafana have improved since.
Hence, Broos believes there’d be no better time to return to the global showpiece for the first time since South Africa qualified as hosts in 2010.
“We were competitive in January, and if you see the game today, the team has progressed,” said Broos after the 3-0 win over South Sudan in the last Afcon qualifier in Cape Town on Tuesday night.
“Little by little, it will give us the confidence for the next thing we have to do: to qualify for the World Cup.
“If you ask me now, if we are going to qualify for the World Cup, I can’t say yes as you never know what can happen in a football game.
“If South Africa can qualify for the World Cup, it is now – because we have quality, a good team. We can do it, but we still must do it.
“If we show the same mentality, same quality, same team spirit, there is a big chance that we will qualify. We hope that we can achieve it.”
There’s a lot that can still happen between now and March though, and Broos’ shortcomings could potentially be injuries or lack of form to his regulars in domestic football.
But such is his tactical acumen and understanding of the game, Broos already has a succession plan up his sleeve – a plan that came to the fore in the last qualifiers.
Bafana were without talisman and vice-captain Themba Zwane due to an injury he sustained in the last international camp in October.
Enter Patrick Maswanganyi. The Orlando Pirates’ talisman fitted into Zwane’s role like a glove, playing with flair and freedom, and scoring in both matches against Uganda and South Sudan.
Broos is not getting carried away by Maswanganyi’s outing in the recent camp, though, especially after he was criticised for a poor performance away to Congo.
Instead, the Belgian wants ‘Tito’ to find his feet in the Bafana set-up before he can regard him as a replacement for Zwane, 34, who’s been one of the best players in the land for years.
Here is the second from Maswanganyi pic.twitter.com/9htcegEgMl
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 19, 2024
“I am very happy with the performance of Patrick. I said before that we need to look for someone who can replace Themba, and unfortunately, we must do it earlier,” Broos said.
“I wanted Themba to still be with us now, because I know how important it is for the team. But what Patrick showed us today makes me happy.
“It’s not really what we want, but I asked him to play differently as in Pirates. So, it’s a little bit for him to adapt to the way we were playing, but he has the potential… (otherwise) I wouldn’t select him.
“With this game, and Friday, he scored in both games, which will certainly give him a boost of confidence. I am happy with his performance today, but he still must improve.
“He still must be more the player who gives the passes, who is very important for us. And he can (do it), I am sure.
“But it needs a little bit of time. But he did what I asked, and I am happy with his performance (tonight).”