THE CLARITY of the fourth country that will make up Group A of the World Cup is like the ringing of the clock that wakes up the Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, who is about to plan what he knows in the 68 days left before the start of the tournament.
In the middle of the week, the number of countries that will form Group A has been gathered following the entry of Czechia, which has added South Africa, South Korea and the host Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup will begin on June 11 in Mexico, Canada and the United States of America (USA).
The two countries that will finish at the top of Group A will advance to the Last 32 since the tournament will start with 48 countries.
The eight national teams that will finish in third place with the best statistics will also get a place in the Last 32.
Since the draw of the groups last year, the Bafana coach (Broos) has been predicting the fourth national team until Czechia put themselves in the hat last year by winning against Denmark on penalties.
Bafana Bafana games
Mexico v Bafana (Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, June 16); Czech Republic v Bafana (Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, June 18); Bafana v South Korea (BBVA Bancomer Stadium, Guadalupe, June 25).
Countries and their ranking by Fifa:
Bafana Bafana (61)
Bafana, who are returning to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years, are among the countries that may surprise in this tournament even though they showed signs of going backwards in Morocco compared to what they did in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast.
The local team entered the World Cup by topping their group in the Caf qualifiers where they won five games, drew three, lost one, and were stripped of one they played against Lesotho due to playing Teboho Mokoena with cards.
Player in focus (Mbekezeli “TLB” Mbokazi)
Mbokazi, who stood out for one season in Orlando Pirates and found greener pastures in Chicago Fire FC of the USA, is showing signs of growth which is proven by the way he has played since he came to the national team last year and most recently during the match against Panama where he hit the edge of the shot and it stuck in the net.
Mexico (15)
Mexico, which ended up in the quarterfinals in 1986, the last year it hosted the World Cup, was present in the previous tournament in Qatar in 2022, and was eliminated from the group stage. Once again, it has been carried with pride as it is in the countries where the World Cup will be played.
Utargeted player (Raul Jimenez)
Although he did not have a good season at Fulham FC in England where he has scored nine goals in 30 games but this striker has been called up in recent friendlies and can lead the home team in this competition.
Korea Republic (22)
Although there is not much talk about this national team, it could be very dangerous for Bafana since it has never missed the World Cup since 1986. In the last one in Qatar in 2022, it came out of the Last 16.
In the qualifiers, they finished top of their groups in both rounds and went undefeated in the 16 matches they played.
Featured Player (Son Heung-min)
Until today, this famous striker for Tottenham Hotspur in England is still scoring goals as he plays for Los Angeles FC in the USA. Being in a place he is not used to and being a reliable leader in his national team makes him one of the things that Bafana should pay close attention to.
Czechia (44)
Czechia is among the countries that are coming back from the World Cup after a long time since they last appeared in this competition in 2006, where they were eliminated from the group stage. It has reached the finals twice, in 1934 and 1962.
Although it failed to secure a place in the first round of qualifying in Europe, it showed its strength in the second round, passing Ireland and Denmark.
Spectator (Patrik Schick)
Schick is one of the most respected strikers in the German Bundesliga where he has scored nine goals in 20 league games for Bayer Leverkusen.