Bafana Bafana’s preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup — particularly their opening fixture against co-hosts Mexico — will come under close scrutiny when they take on Panama in two consecutive international friendlies on home soil over the coming days.
The national team is scheduled to report for camp on Monday morning before travelling to Durban, where they will play the first friendly at Moses Mabhida Stadium on March 27. They will then head to Cape Town for the second encounter against Panama at DHL Stadium on March 31.
Head coach Hugo Broos has selected a relatively strong squad for the two matches, underlining the importance of restoring the team’s identity, mentality, and discipline — areas he believes fell short during their disappointing last-16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Considering the scale of the World Cup and Bafana’s ambition to make an impact on their return after a 16-year absence, there had been expectations that SAFA would arrange higher-ranked opposition than Panama. However, Broos has defended the decision, explaining that the Central American side offers the right kind of test.
“Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to it,” Broos said after announcing his squad at the SABC studios in Johannesburg. “They are ranked 33rd in the world — about 30 places above us — which shows their quality.
“They also represent a Central American style of play. Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico all share similar characteristics. Since we will face Mexico, this gives us a very useful benchmark.
“It will help us understand how we adapt against that style, assess our current level, and identify what we must improve to compete effectively with Mexico.”
There were also questions about the choice of venues, given that Mexico is expected to experience hot and humid conditions during June. Some had anticipated matches at higher-altitude locations such as Gauteng or Polokwane, rather than coastal venues like KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Broos, however, clarified the reasoning behind the logistical approach.
“You only play at high altitude when there’s no time to adapt,” he explained.
“That’s something we will address before the World Cup. We plan to be in Pachuca by May 31, which sits at about 2,300 metres above sea level — similar to conditions in Mexico. We will have around 10 days there to adjust properly. Playing at altitude now, without sufficient adaptation time, would be a disaster.”
Broos also outlined plans for the final stages of preparation, noting that player availability will limit their options for additional friendlies.
“We will likely only manage one more match,” he said. “Players will only be released on May 25, so ideally we can schedule that game for May 29 or 30 before travelling on the 31st.”
The Belgian coach recently visited Pachuca to inspect the team’s base and expressed satisfaction with the facilities. However, he raised concerns about the demands of long-haul travel and has urged SAFA to consider a more efficient solution.
“I am asking — really asking — SAFA and everyone involved to arrange a charter flight,” Broos said.
“I recently travelled from Johannesburg to Atlanta for 16 hours, waited three hours, then flew another three hours to Mexico City, followed by nearly two more hours to Pachuca. Including airport procedures, that’s about 26 hours of travel.
“When you arrive on May 31, you still need time to adapt, which means you lose valuable preparation time. A direct charter flight to Mexico City would make a significant difference for us.”
