Staff Reporter
Six players who missed out on Bafana Bafana’s final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will travel to Mexico to watch South Africa’s opening Group A match against co-hosts Mexico, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie said on Sunday.
Brandon Petersen, Patrick Maswanganyi, Thabiso Monyane, Thapelo Morena, Lebohang Maboe and Brooklyn Poggenpoel narrowly missed out on coach Hugo Broos’ final squad.
McKenzie said the players would attend the match at the Estadio Azteca on 11 June, with the cost of their travel and accommodation covered by South African brand Old School.
“These six men trained, sacrificed, and prepared with the same dedication as every player in that squad,” said McKenzie.
“They were part of this journey. The margin between making the final cut and missing out at a World Cup is razor-thin, and it would be wrong for that margin to mean that their contribution simply disappears. They deserve to be there, and they deserve to see what they helped build.”
He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring the six players remained part of South Africa’s World Cup campaign, despite not being selected for the playing squad.
“Hugo Broos had to make impossible choices this week, and we accept this. It is in the nature of sport, because disappointment for some is the inescapable flip side of glory for others. That is the nature of elite sport. But such choices should not be the last word on what these six men mean to Bafana Bafana and to this country. They remain part of the family.”
The opening fixture marks South Africa’s first World Cup appearance since it hosted the tournament in 2010.
McKenzie thanked Old School for backing the initiative.
“When I reached out to Old School, the answer was immediate. That kind of response – standing by those who gave their best – is what South African sport looks like at its finest. I am deeply grateful to them.”
He again congratulated the final Bafana Bafana squad and coaching staff, saying the team carried the support of the country into the tournament.
“We go to Mexico as one nation. There will be twenty-six deserving players in the squad, and six more equally special ones in the stands. All of them are Bafana Bafana. On that day, all 60 million of us will be Bafana Bafana.”
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