FCSB defender Siyabonga Ngezana has responded to reports that he has been omitted from the Bafana Bafana 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
This comes after FCSB interim coach Lucian Filip reportedly told the media in Romania that Ngezana was “gutted” to have missed out on Hugo Broos’ provisional squad for next month’s showpiece which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
Filip’s comments raised a lot of eyebrows in South Africa, considering that Broos is only expected to announce his final Bafana World Cup squad on May 27 at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
‘A miscommunication’
Ngezana, however, has now explained that Filip had spoken to the media under the false impression that the Bafana squad selection had already been finalised.
“There is a misunderstanding because my club didn’t receive the correct information,” Ngezana told FARPost.
“They thought coach Hugo Broos had already announced the Bafana Bafana squad for the World Cup.
“Just yesterday [Monday], the club management asked me when Broos would be announcing the squad. My coach said what he said to the media before the Bafana squad was even out because he simply didn’t know. He thought that when the media asked him about my Bafana prospects, the squad had already been named. It was all just a miscommunication,” he added.
Will Ngezana make the final squad?
With the SA Football Association (Safa) already submitting a preliminary squad of 35 to 55 players to world footballing body Fifa – the deadline for that was May 13, it remains to be seen if Ngezana will make the final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former Kaizer Chiefs defender has been a consistent feature in Broos’ previous squads, but his lack of game time at FCSB this season has placed his spot in the World Cup squad under doubt.
