Teams
In a particularly tough qualification group, South Africa finished above Nigeria to automatically qualify for their 4th World Cup as Group C winners. It is the first tournament that they qualified for since they hosted the tournament in 2010, but they will have benefited from the expanded tournament and additional qualification slots this time around in 2026. They are a side that have never gotten out of the Group Stages of the tournament in their previous 3 appearances, and whilst according to the FIFA World Rankings they are the weakest side in the group, they will remember the fond memories of having faced Mexico the last time they appeared in the World Cup and Tshabalala scored that wonder goal in the opening game of the tournament. Again, they will feature in the opening game of the biggest football tournament in the world.
25 year old Burnley striker Foster has featured heavily for his Premier League side this season and as well as scoring three goals in the Premier League this season, he also netted twice in qualifying and twice in the African Cup of Nations in early 2026 as South Africa went onto get removed at the Quarter Final stage. In a squad where most of the team play in South Africa, the experience that Foster brings to the side will be invaluable if South Africa are to make it out of the group stages for the first time.
