Broos slams Bloemfontein pitch ahead of World Cup qualifiers

Bafana Bafana head coach, Hugo Broos, has slammed the poor state of the Free State Stadium pitch in Bloemfontein, where South Africa will host Lesotho and Nigeria in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers next month.

Bafana face neighbours Lesotho on the 5 September and then take on Nigeria’s Super Eagles four days later.

Announcing his 23-man squad — which includes new faces Zuko Mndunyelwa, Kamogela Sebelebele, Mduduzo Shabalala and Ime Okon — Broos expressed disappointment at the venue’s condition.

“I am a bit disappointed, I was in Bloemfontein and I saw the pitch,” he said. “They said they had the Cosafa Cup there, but that ended halfway through June. They had six weeks to fix it. I have seen the effort that other cities made – Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Polokwane. I am very disappointed they (Bloemfontein) didn’t do the same.”

He added that Bafana have changed their itinerary, and will now stay in Johannesburg from Monday and will only head out to Bloemfontein next Thursday.

“Even the training pitch (in Bloemfontein) is bad,” he said. “Lesotho are the hosts (of the first game) so we can’t really complain. But then we have Nigeria and we are disappointed,” he added.

Bafana remain the favourites to qualify for the 2026 World Cup which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. They lead their group with 13 points, five clear of Rwanda and Benin, who are tied on eight.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos announces the squad to face Lesotho and Nigeria in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month.@SABC_Sport #BafanaPride pic.twitter.com/gwTiEiZ8FR

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) August 28, 2025