Malibongwe Khoza on Bafana Bafana call up

A 21-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns defender, Malibongwe Khoza, got his first Bafana Bafana call-up. Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos made a bold decision on taking a youngster ahead of the two must-win games in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for 2026. Bafana Bafana will play against Zimbabwe at Moses Mabhida Stadium and Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium.

At the media briefing, Khoza said, "I didn't think it was gonna come this early, but I was always working, motivated to make sure I work on my next one. I make sure I perform every game. When I got the chance to go to Chan, the team said let me go there to get national team experience, because I didn't have it before. So I went there and got some experience, some minutes, then I came back.

"I started to play more and gain experience and my confidence back. As players, we tend to look down at Cosafa and Chan; but I think it's surprising to be that way. It is a way of getting experience for some players who can't maybe break into the national team "Bafana Bafana." I have learned how other countries are playing and I got my first call-up on Chan."