We pick six players Broos is likely to leave out of Bafana World Cup squad

Sowetan · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · May 26, 2026 · 378 words · By Neville Khoza

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What to know about We pick six players Broos is likely to leave out of Bafana World Cup squad

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will today name his final 26-man World Cup squad at the Sefako Makgatho presidential guest house in Pretoria.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will today name his final 26-man World Cup squad at the Sefako Makgatho presidential guest house in Pretoria.

Why it matters

Broos will have some difficult decisions to make as he cuts the squad from 32 to 26.

Common ground

One of the biggest headaches will be the goalkeeping department, where Sipho Chaine and Brandon Petersen are vying for third spot behind regulars Ronwen Williams and Ricardo Goss.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: We pick six players Broos is likely to leave out of Bafana World Cup squad?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Broos will have some difficult decisions to make as he cuts the squad from 32 to 26?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/sport/2026-05-26-we-pick-six-players-broos-is-likely-t…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

cancel Disputed 2

schedule Pending 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Broos will have some difficult decisions to make as he cuts the squad from 32 to 26.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the existence of a 32-player preliminary squad that was subsequently trimmed to a final 26-man squad for the World Cup.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The First National Bank (FNB) Stadium, also known as Soccer City or the Calabash, is a football and rugby union stadium located in Nasrec, bordering the Soweto area of Johannesburg, South Africa. The …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FNB_Stadium

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Percy Muzi Tau (born 13 May 1994) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a winger for and the South Africa national team. Tau began his footballing career with Premier Soccer League …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Tau

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international football and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. Nic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_soccer_t…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Lebogang Maboe (Chiefs) ... earned him a spot in Broos’s preliminary 32-man squad.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “The 22-year-old [Olwethu Makhanya] made 17 appearances for Philadelphia Union in all competitions this season, scoring one goal in the process.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific statistics (17 appearances, one goal) or age of Olwethu Makhanya.

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Claim 4: “Thabiso Monyane (Chiefs)”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm Thabiso Monyane's current club.

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Claim 5: “Teboho Mokoena, Thalente Mbatha and Siphelele Sithole are way ahead [in midfield].”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results list Teboho Mokoena, Thalente Mbatha, and Sphephelo (Siphelele) Sithole as midfielders in both preliminary and final squads.

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web search NEUTRAL — Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena, Thalente Mbatha, Sphephelo Sithole, Masindi Nemtajela, Ndamulelo Maphangele, Siphesihle Mkhize, Bathusi Aubaas, Luke Le Roux, Sipho Mbule, Mduduzi Shabalala, Kamogelo Sebe…
https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/bafana/2025-10-28-broos-names…

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web search NEUTRAL — South Africans will have an opportunity to give Bafana Bafana a proper send-off on Friday, 29 May, when they face Nicaragua national football team at 18:00 at the Orlando Stadium. Written by Anthony T…
https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/05/27/fifa-world-cup-2026-broos-n…

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web search NEUTRAL — Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena, Thalente Mbatha, Sphephelo Sithole, Jayden Adams. Strikers: Oswin Appollis, Iqraam Rayners, Tshepang Moremi, Relebohile Mofokeng, Evidence Makgopa, Themba Zwane, Lyle Fost…
https://thestar.co.za/fifa-world-cup-2026/updates/2026-05-27…

verified

Claim 6: “Brooklyn Poggenpoel (Durban City) ... was viewed as a surprise inclusion in the preliminary squad.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results for 'Brooklyn Poggenpoel' returned general information about the borough of Brooklyn, NYC, and no specific information regarding a player by that name in the Bafana Bafana squad.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 COSAFA Cup is the 23rd edition of the annual COSAFA Cup, held in Gqeberha, South Africa from 26 June to 7 July 2024. Twelve national teams were involved in the tournament: eleven teams from C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_COSAFA_Cup_squads

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 25, 2025 · Explore Brooklyn attractions, including art museums, gorgeous parks and even beaches.
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/best-things-to-…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will today name his final 26-man World Cup squad at the Sefako Makgatho presidential guest house in Pretoria.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that Hugo Broos announced the final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament which will be held in Canada, Mexico, and United States, from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The 48 national teams involved in the tournament…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup_squads

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hugo Henri Broos (born 10 April 1952) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the South Africa national team.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Broos

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Sipho Chaine and Brandon Petersen are vying for third spot behind regulars Ronwen Williams and Ricardo Goss.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results discuss the competition between Sipho Chaine and Brandon Petersen for the third goalkeeper spot behind Ronwen Williams and Ricardo Goss.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was an international football tournament held in the Ivory Coast from 13 January to 11 February 2024. The 24 participating national teams were required to register a squ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_squ…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Bradley Cross (Kaizer Chiefs) ... has never been part of Bafana under Broos”

DISPUTED

The claim states Bradley Cross has 'never been part of Bafana under Broos', but evidence shows Hugo Broos specifically selected him for the World Cup squad and explained the reasoning for his selection.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of notable deaths in July 2015. Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence: Name, age, country of c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_July_2015

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “The Bucs man [Sipho Chaine] was surprisingly dropped by Broos from the previous camp due to alleged ill-discipline during the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm Sipho Chaine was dropped from a squad and explicitly mention 'discipline issues' identified by Broos as the reason.

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web search NEUTRAL — Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has announced his 23-man squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Panama, with Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine a notable omission.
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/sipho-chaine-dropped-as-th…

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web search NEUTRAL — Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane has explained why the 29-year-old keeper should not be discouraged after losing his place in the national team. “I definitely feel that he should not…
https://www.goal.com/en-za/lists/do-not-worry-orlando-pirate…

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web search NEUTRAL — Chaine was dropped from the Bafana squad in their recent two friendlies against Panama due to discipline issues that Broos identified as a reason for leaving the player out of the team.
https://www.central.bet.co.za/soccer/fifa-world-cup-2026/wor…

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Claim 11: “Olwethu Makhanya (Philadelphia Union) ... is yet to earn his first cap for Bafana”

DISPUTED

One source states he is 'yet to earn his first cap', while another source describes him as 'grateful after earning long-awaited Bafana' selection, suggesting he has now been called up.

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web search NEUTRAL — Olwethu Mpilwenhle Makhanya is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olwethu_Makhanya

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web search NEUTRAL — Broos announces preliminary Bafana squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

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web search NEUTRAL — Image: BackpagePix. Olwethu Makhanya has gradually and carefully honed his skillset in Major League Soccer (MLS) in recent years, which is why he’s not surprised – but grateful – to have been selected…
https://thestar.co.za/fifa-world-cup-2026/updates/2026-05-29…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.