With just some hours to go before Bafana Bafana face the Crocodiles of Lesotho in a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has openly admitted that his team cannot afford to slip up, warning that failure to secure three points would put them in serious trouble.

Speaking to the press ahead of the clash, Broos stressed that while Nigeria remains the group’s biggest opponent, his immediate focus is fully on Lesotho.

“First of all, let’s start with Lesotho. I don’t want to think about Nigeria for the moment. I have seen their games in the past and that’s enough for me for now. We will start focusing on them after the game with Lesotho,” Broos said.

“At this moment, the most important thing is the game against Lesotho. We must get a victory against them because if we fail to do that, we will have more troubles in the future,” he added.

South Africa is aiming to make a strong push for qualification to the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

With Nigeria and Rwanda also in the group, any dropped points against so-called “smaller teams” like Lesotho could prove costly. Broos’ men will be hoping to avoid an upset and deliver a convincing performance to keep their qualification hopes on track.