The National Men’s Football Team, Bafana Bafana is desperately seeking a confidence booster and momentum builder ahead of Thursday’s opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City.
Hugo Broos’ men take on Jamaica in their final World Cup warm-up match later on Saturday evening.
The encounter will take place behind closed doors at the Hidalgo Stadium in Pachuca, where Bafana Bafana are based.
Broos is cognisant of the fact that team are winless in their last four matches and that confidence will be key when they take on the co-hosts in the opening match on Thursday.
Mexico are on a high and come off a thumping 5-1 win over Serbia on Thursday, a team ranked 42nd in the world.
As a result, the match against Jamaica, which will be played behind closed doors, takes on new significance in the final preparation phase.
It will also give Broos the opportunity to assess the players before deciding on his starting 11 for the opening match of the spectacle.
VIDEO | Bafana Bafana aiming for positive result against Jamaica:
IRAN SEEKING PEACE
Iran’s ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh says the country’s participation in the World Cup in United States soil showed Tehran was seeking peace, even as the two countries remain at war.
The squad relocated its base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, due to ongoing visa issues and a growing feeling in Iran that the team’s presence in the US should be kept to a minimum.
America and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran since February.
Pasandideh says, “Our action in coming (to the US) for football shows the world that Iran seeks peace and is not vindictive. We are really trying to convince the American people that we are not seeking a bomb. Our football team is the same. We will try until the last moment to make it to the matches, but if they do not issue visas, then we are not to blame.”
TROPHY
Mexico City welcomed the FIFA World Cup trophy, less than a week before the start of the tournament.
The Northern American country’s Mayor Clara Brugada unveiled the trophy with former Brazil player and World Cup winner Roberto Carlos and former Mexico player Hugo Sanchez in attendance.
El Tricolor is set to open the tournament against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11 at 9 PM Central African Time.
-Reporting By Tom Molepo.
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