Bafana Bafana received a favourable draw for in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying competition in Johannesburg on Thursday. Image: Justina Aniefiok / BackpagePix

RECAP: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier – Bafana Bafana 3-1 Zimbabwe

Follow the action LIVE as Bafana Bafana take on neighbours Zimbabwe in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein.

by Garrin Lambley

11-06-2024 20:00

in Bafana Bafana

Bafana Bafana received a favourable draw for in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying competition in Johannesburg on Thursday. Image: Justina Aniefiok / BackpagePix

Bafana Bafana have had a bit of time to catch their breath in Bloemfontein after a taxing travelling schedule to and from Nigeria a few days ago.

The team will take on Zimbabwe in their next 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Free Stat Stadium on Tuesday, 11 June.

Kick-off is at 18:00.

Coach Hugo Broos briefly took time to share the team’s experience on the road.

“I believe in my team, and I believe they can (perform). If we play the game the way we did on Friday (against Nigeria), taking travel into consideration, then I believe a win is possible against Zimbabwe,” said Broos.

Broos was complimentary of the group of players that have come together, eager to fight for their places in the team that is bidding to qualify for the next edition of the FIFA World Cup.

He was pleased that despite the challenges, they kept their focus and stuck to the plan.

Bafana Bafana vs Zimbabwe tickets still available

Defender Given Msimango said Bafana Bafana did what they needed to do against the West Africans in Friday’s World Cup qualifier. “The travel was tough, yes, but the game was going to go ahead anyway, so we kept our focus. We all did! It’s about the football at the end of the day.”

When Msimango was asked how he felt when the call-up came for him to join the team after Grant Kekana had to be withdrawn due to injury, he could not stop smiling.

“I was on vacation with my wife, and we had to cut that short. I’m happy to be here, honoured to play and I will give it my best.”

The team enjoyed their training session on Monday and are excited to play in front of the fans of ‘The City of Roses’ in what is going to be a match that will be remembered for a long time.

Tickets for the encounter are still available at the match venue.

The gates will open at 15:00 and the tickets are priced at R50 for adults.

Kids, scholars and students will pay R20 (school uniform and student cards required for over 12-year-olds).

Tickets are also available at TicketPro outlets, Spar, SuperSpar, Putco, Postnet etc.

QUALIFYING HAS CHANGED

Bafana Bafana and Zimbabwe have been drawn in Group C along with Nigeria, Rwanda, Lesotho and Benin.

The CAF qualification structure for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has changed from previous years.

A record nine African teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup – and a 10th is a possibility.

All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification.

Teams were drawn into nine groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches.

However, Eritrea withdrew before matches began, leaving five teams in Group E.

The winner of each of the nine groups will qualify for the World Cup.

In addition, the four best-ranked group runners-up will participate in a playoff to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Heading into the match in Bloemfontein, Bafana Bafana are in fourth place with four points after three (of 10) qualifiers, Zimbabwe are sixth and last with two points from their three matches played to date.