Hugo Broos, head coach of South Africa ©Alche Greeff/BackpagePix
Tuesday Mar 10, 2026. 15:00
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos released his preliminary squad for South Africa’s upcoming international friendlies against Panama, which contains a few glaring omissions.
The squad was announced on Monday evening as Bafana begin preparations for their 2026 FIFA World Cup warm-up fixtures against the Central American nation. The fixtures will be held in Durban and Cape Town on 27 March and 31 March respectively.
Broos’ squad contains no real surprises in terms of inclusions, with Polokwane City’s Ndamulelo Maphangule returning after making his debut against Mozambique in June last year. Jayden Adams’ return to form sees him get the nod after missing out on AFCON.
The MLS trio of Olwethu Makhanya, Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Mbekezeli Mbokazi were included, while Thapelo Maseko’s move to AEL Limassol in Cyprus has done wonders as he is included for the first time since September 2024.
Selected for the first time, Mthetheleli Mthiyane of Stellenbosch could be in line to receive his first cap for the national team
The 37-man preliminary squad does however miss out on a few big names and top performers.
During South Africa’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign last year, Broos believed he had found a long-term replacement for Themba Zwane in the number 10 role in Sipho Mbule. However, Mbule has played only twice for Orlando Pirates since returning from AFCON, featuring for 22 minutes in Pirates’ 3-0 league win over Marumo Gallants and 28 minutes in their Nedbank Cup win over Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandil. He has not had game time since 14 February. His name is missing from Broos’ list.
Thembinkosi Lorch misses out despite his fantastic numbers this season. The 32-year-old has bagged four goals and three assists in his last 10 games in all competitions and has continued to impress after his move to Libyan giants Al-Ittihad SC. He was last selected by Broos in June 2022 and remains frozen out.
Another previous player under Broos, Gift Links, has been omitted despite his incredible form in the Danish Superliga. He has been named in the league’s Team of the Week on nine occasions in the 2025/26 campaign and has achieved the highest overall player rating according to FOTMOB. The wing-back has started all of Aarhus GF’s 22 league games, bagging three goals and four assists. However, he misses out yet again.
Club Brugge’s Shandre Campbell, who was a part of the AFCON squad but did not play, was not included. However, his fellow 20-year-old Tylon Smith, who also did not play at AFCON, was included.
Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was not selected despite his stellar season, as he is recovering from surgery. The shot-stopper missed out on the Soweto Derby and has not featured since undergoing emergency surgery. He has notched 11 clean sheets in 16 league games for AmaKhosi and is unfortunate to not be included.
By Nic Gleeson