Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has announced a 32-member preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The team will assemble in Johannesburg on Monday, 25 May, and the camp will start with 24 players, as the Mamelodi Sundowns players and the overseas-based contingent will still be out of the country.

Sundowns will only return to South Africa on Tuesday, 26 May, as they face Morocco side AS FAR in the second leg of their CAF Champions League final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Sunday, 24 May.

The final team for the FIFA World Cup will be announced at Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria on Wednesday, 27 May, and Broos will be joined by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and South African Football Association (SAFA) President Dr Danny Jordaan, among others, as the names of the travelling 26 players are confirmed to the nation.

As part of Bafana Bafana’s preparations for the global tournament, Orlando Stadium will host Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup send-off match against Nicaragua next week. The match will be played on Friday, 29 May, and the kickoff is at 18h00.

South Africa was drawn in Group A during the FIFA World Cup draw held in Washington DC in December 2025. Bafana Bafana will compete against Mexico, South Korea, and the Czech Republic.

Mexico will host Bafana Bafana in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and this game will mark the start of the 48-team tournament.

This year’s FIFA World Cup will be hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026.