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Bafana Bafana World Cup squad announcement: all you need to know

Where, when, what time, how many players, who will make the announcement, and so on

2 min read
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos and captain Ronwen Williams. File photo.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos and captain Ronwen Williams. File photo. Picture: Daniel Hlongwane

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will name his final 23- to 26-player 2026 World Cup squad in Pretoria on Wednesday.

Here is all you need to know about the squad announcement:

  • Time of the announcement: 7pm
  • Day: Wednesday
  • Venue: Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House, part of the Union Buildings complex in Pretoria
  • Who will announce the squad?: Bafana coach Hugo Broos
  • Will President Cyril Ramaphosa attend?: Yes
  • Size of the squad: Fifa allows between 23 and 26 players in the final squad
  • Deadline to submit final squad to Fifa: June 1
  • Bafana preliminary squad: 32 players were named by Broos on Thursday
  • Deadline to submit preliminary squad to Fifa: May 11
  • Can players change from the preliminary squad to the final squad?: Players can only be drafted in if there has been an injury
  • When did the squad assemble?: The 32 players announced in the preliminary squad assembled on Monday and started training on Tuesday towards the Nicaragua warm-up friendly
  • When and where is the warm-up friendly against Nicaragua?: Friday at 6pm, Orlando Stadium
  • When do Bafana depart for Mexico?: Sunday
  • Do Bafana play any more international friendlies before the World Cup on arrival in Mexico?: No, none are scheduled. They might play closed-door friendlies against local Mexican teams
  • Bafana’s World Cup group: Group A
  • Where will they be based in Mexico?: Universidad de Futbol, Pachuca, 95km from Mexico City
  • Bafana’s first 2026 World Cup game: June 11 against co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca in Mexico City (1pm Mexico City time, 9pm SA time), the opening game of the World Cup
  • Bafana’s next game: June 18, against Czechia (Czech Republic) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia (12pm Atlanta time, 6pm SA time)
  • Bafana’s final Group A game: June 24 against South Korea at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico (7pm Guadalupe time, 3am on the morning of June 25 SA time)
  • What Bafana need to progress to the last 32?: Finish in the top two in the group or among the eight best third-placed teams from the 12 first-round groups
  • Who is hosting the 2026 World Cup?: Mexico, Canada and the US
  • How many teams qualified?: 48 (expanded this year from the previous 32 in Qatar in 2022)

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