By our reporter 5.9.2025
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana Friday beat Lesotho 3-0 at the Free State Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein to move closer to qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
They now top the group C pairings with 16 points, though there is a possible three points deduction for fielding ineligible Tebogo Mokoena against Lesotho in their first leg encounter, the South Africans feel they are home and dry in the qualification contest, that have seen them having the advantage of playing five of their games at home so far.
Lesotho and Zimbabwe play their home games in South Africa. They host Nigeria at the same Toyota Stadium with the hope of collecting all three points Tuesday evening and that would certainly earn them the automatic ticket.
Mohau Nkota scored in the 15th minute to settle the nerves of Bafana Bafana and their fans, Lyle Foster added the second in the 63rd minute, while Owins Appolis completed the rout in the 67 minutes.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos, 73, who is smelling the roses already, is looking forward to returning to the World Cup after 40 years. He was a player for Belgium in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
“Next year, it will be 40 years since I played in the World Cup in Mexico,” Broos recalled. “It would be fantastic to do it as a coach, 40 years later.
“I said it before — this is my last job as a coach. I am 73 years old, and I’m not going to go until I’m 80, so it would be the perfect moment to stop. I am really motivated, together with my team, to achieve that.
“To have a career like this, which includes playing at the World Cup — I don’t think many have had the chance to do that. So it would be the right time to stop.”
Lesotho lose to South Africa handing Bafana Bafana a comfortable lead in group C.