Bafana Bafana's rise and Nigeria rivalry: More than just bragging rights on the line in Bloem

Bafana Bafana have grown in leaps and bounds over the years, which is why there wouldn’t be a better time to settle the on-field beef between them and Nigeria.

Bafana will host Nigeria in a crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier at Toyota Stadium tonight (6pm kick-off). The South Africans are at the top of Group C with 16 points, six ahead of third-placed Nigeria.

A win for Bafana would put them on the brink of qualifying for the global showpiece in North America — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — as they would be nine points ahead of their rivals with two games to play.

A Bafana victory would also eliminate Nigeria from the race for automatic qualification, which would sting for the West Africans if they ultimately fail to qualify for the global event, even through the play-offs.

Of course, Bafana still have the pending case of Teboho Mokoena, who was fielded despite being ineligible to play against Lesotho in one of the qualifiers in March.

The rivalry between Bafana and the Super Eagles goes beyond the pitch, as there has been a long-running debate on whether South Africa’s Amapiano is better than Nigeria’s Afrobeats.

Bafana head into the clash high on confidence. They’ve mastered the art of performing under pressure rather than choking. That’s why Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, who was speaking during the pre-match press conference at Toyota Stadium yesterday afternoon, lauded his team’s growth.

This growth includes coming away with a comfortable 3-0 win when they faced Lesotho in Bloemfontein, despite the uncertainty surrounding Mokoena’s ineligibility.

“I said Friday after the game that we did a monumental, very good job,” said Broos. “It wasn’t easy to play that game with all the nonsense that was said before. That means the team is mentally strong. Even we, the technical team, are confident.

"We’ll try to beat Nigeria tomorrow. We have a chance to do it, but I’ve been in football long enough to admit that it’s not certain because Nigeria are also a very good team.”

Bafana are eager to beat Nigeria for the first time since 2017. The two teams have played to two draws in their last two meetings — in the first round of World Cup qualifiers in Uyo and an AFCON semi-final clash in Ivory Coast, which West Africans eventually won on penalties.

Bafana captain Ronwen Williams says they want this match to be third-time lucky.

“Exactly, that’s the history they’ve got over us,” Williams said yesterday of the lengthy winless run. “We haven’t beaten them in a long time. But we have had positive results. To go to Nigeria is difficult, but to come away with a result and play the way we did showed that we are growing as a team and are closer to beating them.

"It was also shown at AFCON when we played Nigeria. So, hopefully tomorrow, we can go a step further and change the narrative. I mean, if you look head-to-head, they have the bragging rights. Hopefully, tomorrow we can show the new leaf of Bafana Bafana, and the Amapiano boys can be happy.”

Many locals and pundits believe that the injury Nigeria’s star marksman Victor Osimhen sustained in the 1-0 win over Rwanda last Saturday will bode well for Bafana. But Broos disagrees.

“We also have injuries,” Broos chuckled. “Osimhen is a very good striker, but there are a lot of options that the coach has for his replacement.”

Bafana have to be at their best against the Super Eagles, particularly in defence, and their No 1, Williams, is confident in their relatively youthful squad to deliver.

“The amount of talent that has come through in the country has been amazing, and they’ve all done extremely well,” Williams said. “Most of them are getting the chance now to represent the country.

"(Mbekezeli) Mbokazi was solid, and (Mohau) Nkota scored an amazing goal as well against Lesotho. It’s just exciting to see the mentality that they have at that age, and how serious they are. But I think they also see the mentality that we have in camp—we are very serious and have a special group. You feel the love and brotherhood, and that has carried us through.”