Three Bafana Bafana fan favourites are unlikely to feature at FIFA World Cup 2026 which is just 40 days away.
It’s almost time for coach Hugo Broos to announce his preliminary – and final – Bafana Bafana squad for football’s greatest showpiece.
However, it is not good news for everyone with these THREE local fan-favourites expected to miss out.
Exciting time
This is exciting time for South Africa’s finest players with Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates set to form the core of the squad to travel to the tournament to be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Thembinkosi Lorch, Percy Tau and Monnapule Saleng all look almost certain to miss out on a seat on the plane.
1. THEMBINKOSI LORCH (Al-Ittihad SC)
Lorch has not been the same since leaving Orlando Pirates at the start of 2024.
He tried to revive his carer when he moved to Mamelodi Sundowns, but if anything, it did his Bafana Bafana ambitions damage.
When he joined The Brazilians he hardly played.
So, he decided to join Wydad Casablanca in Morocco where he played more frequently. In February this year he joined Al-Ittihad SC in Libya for a reported €1.1 million fee.
However, it seems a case of ‘too little, too late’ for ‘Nyoso’.
Speaking to Robert Marawa on 947, Broos reiterated the fact that he does not plan to include Lorch in his Bafana Bafana World Cup squad.
2. PERCY TAU (THEP XANH NAM DINH)
The Lion of Judah once roared loudly over Africa. First, as a star in the PSL for Mamelodi Sundowns and then for the African giants Al Ahly.
The former PSL Player of the Year has unfortunately had a mighty fall from grace.
It all started ahead of AFCON 2024 when he was evidently less effective up front.
This resulted in Broos dropping him from future squads including the most recent 23-man squad that was named to face Panama in back-to-back friendlies.
Tau, who will turn 32 on 13 May 2026, currently plays for Vietnam-based outfit Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC in the V. League.
He has scored just one goal in nine appearances this season and sadly seems like a shadow of his former self.
Having fallen out of favour with Broos and being out of form, Tau is also expected to miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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3. MONNAPULE SALENG (MAMELODI SUNDOWNS)
Saleng was once not only an Orlando Pirates and PSL fan-favourite, but also a Bafana Bafana star.
However, times have changed – drastically – for the former PSL Player of the Season.
First, he fell out of favour with the Bucs with the rise of Relebohile Mofokeng and Patrick Maswanganyi and the arrivals of Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi.
Ahead of the current league season, he was loaned to Orbit College. He then joined Mamelodi Sundowns in the January 2026 transfer window.
However, Saleng is not in the kind of form that saw him once dominate the PSL and he is certainly not in Broos’s mind with the World Cup around the corner.
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DO YOU THINK ANY OF LORCH, TAU OR SALENG DESERVE TO BE IN HUGO BROOS’S FINAL BAFANA BAFANA WORLD CUP SQUAD?
Let us know your views in the comments section below …