BAFANA COME UP TRUMPS

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

- MIHLALI BALEKA [e-mail]

BAFANA Bafana striker Evidence Makgopa celebrates after scoring their third goal in the Fifa World Cup qualifier against Rwanda.

(Backpagepix)

IN THE heartbeat of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit, the sun shone brightly on Hugo Broos and his Bafana Bafana boys as they successfully knocked on God's window to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Bafana beat Rwanda 3-0 to reach the promised land - automatically qualifying for the first time since 2002 - after finishing top of Group C, thanks to goals from Thalente Mbatha, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa.

The victory was also made possible by an unexpected source - Nigeria, who beat Benin 4-0 on home soil, dethroning them from the No 1 spot in Group C.

With this region of the country also boasting the Big Five, Broos and Bafana deserved to feast on the buffalo for a job well done. The Belgian has also seen his football career come full circle, as he'll now coach at the global showpiece - 40 years after competing in the tournament himself. But Bafana didn't only deserve a feast fit for kings - they played like the rest of the Big Five as well: the lion, the leopard, the rhino and the elephant. And that's why they'll head into Afcon later this year as one of the favourites.