Bafana Bafana call up Mbule and Moloisane after late injury blows

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has made two late changes to his squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, bringing in Orlando Pirates midfielder Sipho Mbule and Stellenbosch FC defender Thabo Moloisane.

The pair received the call-ups after several key players were sidelined with injuries.

South Africa will face Lesotho on Friday, 5 September, and then host Nigeria on Tuesday, 9 September. Both crucial Group C clashes are scheduled for the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein and will kick off at 18:00.

The national team assembled for camp in Soweto on Monday and held their first training session at Dobsonville Stadium.

Why the Bafana Bafana Changes Were Needed

Moloisane, a talented centre-back, replaces German-based defender Ime Okon, who suffered a muscle injury while playing for Hannover 96. Okon was substituted in the 77th minute of his team’s 2-1 win over Holstein Kiel over the weekend and is expected to be out of action until mid-September.

Meanwhile, Mbule has been drafted in to replace his Pirates teammate Patrick Maswanganyi, who also picked up an injury.

Speaking about the squad changes on Monday at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto, Broos expressed his frustration with the team’s injury woes. “This is one of the most difficult preparations I’ve had since becoming the coach of Bafana Bafana,” he stated. “We have a lot of injuries to important players.”

Broos highlighted that Nkosinathi Sibisi and Themba Zwane were also unavailable, along with Sphephelo Sithole, who isn’t fully fit, and Deano David van Rooyen and Grant Kekana.

“Today, we had to send Maswanganyi home after his injury yesterday,” Broos said, explaining the tough decision. “We have no guarantee that Tito would be ready for the game on Friday. It’s very difficult to work with a national team when you only have three or four days to prepare. We can’t take that risk, so his replacement is Sipho Mbule.”

South Africa currently sits at the top of Group C with 13 points from six matches.

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