The first FIFA international break is around the corner and six Orlando Pirates stars are set to be part of the action in the next two rounds of fixtures in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
The race to secure spots in the global showpiece event that will be held in North America resumes later this month with South Africa and Namibia among the hopefuls. Bafana Bafana have dates with Lesotho and Benin while the Brave Warriors are scheduled to take on Malawi and Equatorial Guinea.
Experienced winger Deon Hotto has again been rewarded with a call up to Collin Benjamin’s squad. A veteran of well over 50 internationals, the 34-year-old has been a mainstay for Namibia and will be key as they look to strengthen their position in Group H. They are currently second with eight points, three behind Tunisia with four games played.
Their first assignment is away to Malawi in Lilongwe, with their next fixture against Equatorial Guinea taking place at their adopted home of Orlando Stadium.
The other five Bucs players set to feature in the qualifiers will all be in the colours of South Africa. National head coach Hugo Broos has largely stuck with the tried and tested when trimming his 37-man squad down to 23 on Thursday. The Belgian has retained the vast majority of the contingent that featured in the squad that secured Africa Cup of Nations qualification in November last year.
Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine is in the mix after making his debut against South Sudan in September and is joined by defender Nkosinathi Sibisi, who will be looking to add to his 13 international caps. Midfielder Thalente Mbatha also makes the cut, following last year’s heroics.
Attacking midfielders Relebohile Mofokeng and Patrick Maswanganyi round up the Pirates contingent in the squad. The pair featured regularly for South Africa throughout 2024, collecting five and four caps respectively and could possibly add more in the coming weeks.
Bafana are currently second in Group C, tied on seven points with Rwanda. They host Lesotho at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday, 21 March before taking on Benin at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny the following Tuesday.
All six players are expected to depart the Bucs camp soon after Sunday’s league fixture against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Upcoming World Cup Qualifiers Featuring Pirates Players
Thursday, 20 March
- Malawi vs Namibia at Bingu National Stadium, Kick-off at 18:00
Friday, 21 March
- South Africa vs Lesotho at New Peter Mokaba Stadium, 18:00
Monday, 24 March
- Namibia vs Equatorial Guinea at Orlando Stadium, 15
Tuesday, 25 March
- Benin vs South Africa at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 18:00
All times are SAST.
