Why Mofokeng and Adams may not play for Bafana against Benin

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says nobody is assured of their place in his starting line-up. 

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Bafana have jetted into the Ivory Coast, where they will face Benin in a 2026 Fifa World Cup Group C qualifier on Teusday evening at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan. 

Bafana go two points clear

Friday’s 2-0 win over Lesotho took Bafana two points clear at the top of the group and featured goals from Orlando Pirates’ Relebohile Mofokeng and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Jayden Adams.

Neither Mofokeng or Adams had scored for Bafana before, and the 20 year-old Mofokeng was making his first senior international start. Adams, 23, had only previously started one game for Bafana, a 2022 Cosafa Cup match against Madagascar. 

The fact that Mofokeng and Adams could come in and make an immediate impact is an indication of the strength in depth Broos has built in the Bafana set up. 

“No player can say they are a regular in this 23 (man squad),” said Broos after the win over Lesotho. 

“I have said before that as a coach I see what is the right moment to bring a player in. I thought this game was the right moment to bring Rele in. He played a very good game.

“Imagine Rele played a bad game, everyone would have said it was too soon. You have to help the player and we did that with Rele and Jayden. But also this was the right opponent to do that (against). 

‘I must see when is the right moment’

“You can’t do that in Nigeria for the first time or even in Benin. They are different games and from my side I must see when is the right moment. Sometimes it doesn’t succeed, but today you saw Rele had confidence. 

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“It is something very important for the guys (Adams and Mofokeng) when they play their first 90 minutes and can play like that and both score. I am proud of them but I am so proud of the team I have. It is a pleasure to coach them. They are a fantastic group of very good players with a very good mentality.”