Treble winners and African kings form the golden core of Bafana Bafana’s World Cup charge

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It could not have been scripted better that the core of the World Cup-bound Bafana Bafana squad is made up of champions — namely Orlando Pirates, who clinched the Betway Premiership title on the final day of the 2025/2026 season, and Mamelodi Sundowns, who won the CAF Champions League on Sunday night in Rabat.

Sundowns brought home their second star after beating AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate (they drew 1-1 in Rabat after the South Africans secured a 1-0 home win in the first leg in Tshwane).

Pirates beat and relegated Orbit College 2-0 in Mbombela on Saturday afternoon to not only halt a 14-year league trophy drought, but also to register a domestic treble.

These two trophies will mean a lot to the respective club coaches, Miguel Cardoso of Sundowns and Abdeslam Ouaddou of Pirates, as they transform their CVs and place them on the right side of the history books of South African football.

One other coach who will share the same joy — if not more — is national team mentor Hugo Broos.

The Belgian would have celebrated along with the rest of South Africa on Sunday night, as Sundowns’ triumph means he will have a World Cup squad made up of both domestic and continental champions.

That should go a long way into healing the players psychologically after a poor Afcon showing in Morocco in December, where they dissapointed failing to advance past the group stage.

The nine Sundowns players in the Bafana squad are Ronwen Williams, Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Khulumani Ndamane, Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams, Iqraam Rayners, Themba Zwane, and Thapelo Morena.

The nine Pirates players in the Bafana squad are Sipho Chaine, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Thalente Mbatha, Oswin Appollis, Tshepang Moremi, Evidence Makgopa, Relebohile Mofokeng, Patrick Maswanganyi, and Kamogelo Sebelebele.

Out of the 18 players, perhaps only two, and no more than three, are uncertain about their places in the 26-man squad Broos is set to announce at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House, at the Union Buildings.

Those are Sebelebele and Maswanganyi. Sebelebele’s challenge is that he is competing for the right-back/right wing-back position with reliable starter and Polokwane City player Thabang Matuludi.

Morena is listed among the forwards, but he is also a reliable cover for the position.

Maswanganyi is third in the pecking order of playmakers, which includes Mofokeng and Zwane.

This will not affect the core of Broos’ squad. In fact, considering that the likes of Spain are going to the World Cup for the first time without a Real Madrid player, the Belgian should look at his situation and rejoice at having a healthy and happy bunch of champions in his ranks.

It will always be easy to manage a group of happy players who carry the DNA of victory, rather than those who bear the scars of defeat.

Very rarely has any Bafana coach found himself in such a happy situation as Broos, and this should go a long way towards seeing him become the first ever to take the South African men to the second round at the global showpiece.

Preliminary Bafana World Cup Squad:

• Goalkeepers: Ronwen Williams, Ricardo Goss, Sipho Chaine, Brandon Petersen

• Defenders: Khuliso Mudau, Olwetu Makhanya, Bradley Cross, Thabiso Monyane, Thabang Matuludi, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Aubrey Modiba, Khulumani Ndamane, Ime Okon, Samukele Kabini, Mbekezeli Mbokazi

• Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Lebohang Maboe, Thalente Mbatha, Sphephelo Sitole

• Forwards: Oswin Appollis, Tshepang Moremi, Evidence Makgopa, Lyle Foster, Iqraam Rayners, Relebohile Mofokeng, Themba Zwane, Patrick Maswanganyi, Kamogelo Sebelebele, Thapelo Morena, Thapelo Maseko