SOUTH AFRICA goalkeeper Veli Mothwa is sure his team will claim the only 2026 World Cup ticket from African qualifying Group C, which has the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The group contains six teams, with Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Benin Republic joining Nigeria and South Africa in the hunt for the sole ticket to the World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
South Africa failed to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup after losing out to Ghana, who then eliminated Nigeria in the playoffs.
Mothwa is confident Bafana Bafana will make amends this time.
“We are determined. If you take a look at the group of players now, most of us were there and felt the pain of not making it to the World Cup,” the AmaZulu goalkeeper told safa.net.
“This time it’s different, we know who we are and what we can do and come 2026 we will be there. I have no doubt in my mind about that, I believe that.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the national team. It’s about winning the first two games (against Benin Republic and Rwanda) and not just performing well, but walking away from the games victorious.”
Mothwa recognises how tough the gruelling campaign of 10 rounds of matches spread across two years will be, but the 32-year-old has confidence in himself and his teammates.
“These games are not friendlies, these games determine so much and require so much from us as well. So we have to apply ourselves in every aspect, mentally and physically,” he added.
“Some of us come from back-to-back games in our league and continental competitions, so there’s a delicate balance when it comes to sufficient rest as well.”
Bafana host Benin Republic in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday and then travel to face Rwanda in their second qualifier on Tuesday.
“While I believe we can do this, and we have Africa Cup of Nations on our doorstep, I urge everyone to get behind us, support us because in every game the 12th man plays a role,” continued Mothwa.
“We have been playing our part and I hope that our fans will come in numbers to support us when we hit Durban on Saturday, and to keep it going till Tuesday when we play Rwanda.”
Nigeria will host South Africa in June 2024, with the reverse tie scheduled for September 2025.
