“Focus is on Lesotho” — South Africa’s Hugo Broos plays down Super Eagles scare

By Wale Mustapha

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has made it clear that his team’s immediate focus in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers is on their upcoming clash against Lesotho, and not Nigeria’s Super Eagles.

The Bafana Bafana currently sit top of Group D, holding a six-point lead over Nigeria ahead of their highly anticipated meeting next Tuesday in Bloemfontein.

That fixture has been billed as a potential group decider, provided both sides record positive results in their preceding matches.

The reverse fixture between Nigeria and South Africa ended 1-1 when Finidi George was still in charge of the Super Eagles.

However, Broos has insisted that his players cannot afford to look past Friday’s tie against Lesotho.

“The game next Friday is about a week away and I don’t want to think about Nigeria for the moment,” Broos told reporters.

“We will see after the game with Lesotho who and how we are going to play against Nigeria.”

South Africa will host Lesotho before turning their attention to the clash with Nigeria, which could have a significant bearing on the group standings.