Why Bafana Bafana are playing all their last qualifiers at home

Bafana Bafana lead the way with 13 points and with four qualifiers set to be played in South Africa, WC qualification should be a formality.

Bafana Bafana to play their remaining qualifiers at home.: Image: @BafanaBafana

Bafana Bafana have taken a huge step in qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 2-0 win over Benin.

Hugo Broos’ men top Group C with 13 points from six matches. With four wins, Bafana are more likely to advance, given that their rivals Nigeria are six points behind with a handful of matches to be played. The Super Eagles appeared to have gotten their World Cup qualifying campaign on track following their impressive win over Rwanda last week, but Tuesday’s draw with Zimbabwe all but ended their dreams.

As for Bafana Bafana, their consistency in the qualifiers has seen them open a gap, and now they potentially need two wins from their final four matches to reach the ‘promised land’.

When are Bafana Bafana’s next qualifiers?

The next FIFA World Cup qualifiers are in September, when Bafana will play Lesotho and Nigeria at home. This will be followed by matches against Zimbabwe and Rwanda, which are also scheduled to be played in South Africa. This plays in the hands of Bafana and they should take advantage of the misfortune of their neighbouring countries.

Why is South Africa hosting the last four qualifiers?

Bafana have two home matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, having played them away in the first round. However, both Lesotho and Zimbabwe play their home games in South Africa as they don’t have FIFA-approved stadiums.

As a result, Bafana will not be travelling outside the country in their final four World Cup qualifiers. Here are the Bafana’s next qualifiers:

Lesotho (1 September)

Nigeria (8 September)

Zimbabwe (6 October)

Rwanda (13 October)