By Dayo Awoniyi
South Africa’s head coach Hugo Broos has admitted that Bafana Bafana cannot afford any slip-ups when they face Lesotho in a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Belgian tactician stressed that while Nigeria remains the team’s biggest rival in Group C, the immediate task is to secure maximum points against Lesotho.
“First of all, let’s start with Lesotho. I don’t want to think about Nigeria for the moment. I have seen their games in the past and that’s enough for me for now. We will start focusing on them after the game with Lesotho,” Broos told reporters.
The 72-year-old coach admitted that dropping points against so-called “smaller teams” could put South Africa’s qualification hopes in serious jeopardy.
“At this moment, the most important thing is the game against Lesotho. We must get a victory against them because if we fail to do that, we will have more troubles in the future,” he warned.
South Africa currently sit top of the group but remain under pressure with Nigeria and Rwanda still in contention. With the USA, Canada, and Mexico set to host the expanded 48-team World Cup, every result in the qualifiers has become decisive.
Broos and his men will therefore be expected to deliver a professional, commanding performance against Lesotho to keep their qualification campaign firmly on track.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
