Sundowns, Pirates successes a great boost for Bafana before World Cup

South Africa’s return to the World Cup stage is now just weeks away after a 16-year wait. Bafana Bafana will play the curtainraiser of the 2026 edition against co-hosts Mexico on 11 June. Coach Hugo Broos will have a pool of players overflowing with confidence at this disposal, following the silverware successes of Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

Sundowns relinquished the Premiership to Pirates after the latter beat Orbit College 2-0 on Saturday, 23 May, clinching the league title for the first time in 14 years to end the Brazilians’ monopoly of eight seasons.

Sundowns African champions

Despite this defeat in the league marathon Sundowns bounced back immediately by catching an even bigger fish in the form of the African Champions League. On Sunday, 24 May, Miguel Cardoso’s men beat Morocco’s AS FAR Rabat 2-1 on aggregate to finally reclaim the continental title they won for the first time in 2016.

It was fitting that the winning strike in the hard-fought final came from the boot of the tireless Teboho Mokoena, who works in the shadows and does not always receive the plaudits he deserves for being one of the most consistent players for club and country.

The central midfielder cancelled out Mohamed Hrimat’s penalty kick with a vintage rasping strike from outside the box to seal the deal for Sundowns at a cauldron-like Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Sundowns silenced the hostile home crowd permanently on 77 minutes. Another key player for his club and Bafana Bafana, goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, denied Hrimat his second penalty goal of the night with a fine save after a foul he had caused himself.

Champions League gold

Just like that, years of toil in the Champions League are over. After a number of near misses, including losing the 2025 final to Egypt’s Pyramids, Sundowns are at the pinnacle of African soccer once more.

“The sensation I’m feeling is pride,” reflected coach Cardoso after the match. “Last year I saw tears in the eyes of my players. And we promised each other that this year we would have tears again, which would now be from joy and not sadness.”

Bafana Bafana captain Williams told Caf TV: “This is fully deserved. What this team has been through, not only this season, but in the last five or six years… Knocking on the door every season, playing 60 to 70 games, travelling non-stop. Finally the door opened for us and we deserve it.”

Williams and Mokoena will be cornerstones of Bafana Bafana’s first World Cup appearance since 2010. As will right-back Khuliso Mudau, as well as other Sundowns players such as Aubrey Modiba and Jayden Adams.

Their experiences this season on the continent will be crucial at the World Cup. Especially their experience of a harsh home crowd in the second leg of the final in Rabat. That hostility experienced by Sundowns is similar to what Bafana Bafana can expect when they take on Mexico in the opening match of the World Cup at the Azteca Stadium.

“What I told my players is that if there are moments where we feel hostility from the other side, it has to do with fear. Nothing more. Because when people are hostile towards you it’s because they are afraid and want to make you feel smaller,” said Cardoso of the volcanic atmosphere his players were subjected to.

Treble-winning Pirates

Pirates players will also walk into the Bafana Bafana camp with extra bounce after orchestrating a first league title for the club since 2012. The Premiership success was a third trophy for the Buccaneers in the 2025/26 season – sealing a treble after they clinched the MTN8 and Carling Knockout Cup.

It’s an impressive achievement for their Moroccan coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, who was leading the Sea Robbers in his first season. Even though the 2-0 win against Orbit saw the Buccaneers pip Sundowns by a single point, it came from two dubious own goals which relegated the Premiership rookies to the second tier.

Perhaps as an indication of the gruelling demands that come with being at the helm of Pirates, Ouaddou dropped a cryptic message on his future. The former Fulham defender said he was a “happy man” following masterminding this latest league triumph (and a fifth overall in the Premier Soccer League era) for the Soweto side.

He added: “I work with passion, I work with love and it’s difficult to lead such a big team like Orlando Pirates. It was a very difficult season and I’m tired. I’m very tired,” Ouaddou said.

“I will sit and I will think, sit down with my management as well. I’m tired. We’ll speak about next season, about what can happen,” the Moroccan added.

“I need energy, I need power. Without energy, it will be difficult to continue. I’m speaking with emotions. It was a long season with lots of pressure.”

Whether or not Ouaddou continues in Orlando, for the immediate future he has helped South Africa by ensuring that Bafana Bafana boss Broos can rely on a confident pool of Pirates players after a demanding season and in the run-up to a tough World Cup campaign against Mexico, Czechia and South Korea in Group A.

Buccaneers such as Relebohile Mofokeng, Thalente Mbatha, Evidence Makgopa, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Patrick Maswanganyi and Sipho Chaine are all hoping to secure spots in the 26-player squad that Broos will name on Wednesday. DM