{"id":1145,"date":"2026-05-28T09:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T09:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:28:17","slug":"sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Sundowns and Pirates power South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad with 16 stars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates provided the backbone of South Africa\u2019s South Africa 2026 World Cup squad as the final selection was announced in Pretoria on Wednesday, with both clubs supplying eight players apiece and dominating the list of 26.<\/p>\n<h2>South Africa\u2019s World Cup squad shaped by recent domestic success<\/h2>\n<p>Sundowns entered the international break in peak form after winning the CAF Champions League for a second time last Sunday, overcoming Moroccan outfit FAR Rabat to claim a 2-1 aggregate score in the final.<\/p>\n<p>Just a day earlier, Pirates were crowned South African Premiership champions for the first time since 2012, bringing an end to Sundowns\u2019 run of eight straight league titles.<\/p>\n<h3>Notable selection calls and absences<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was left out despite an impressive spell that helped his side finish third in the Premiership, behind Pirates and Sundowns.<\/li>\n<li>Petersen had been in line to be involved in World Cup warm-up matches against Panama two months ago, but appendix surgery ruled him out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Hugo Broos\u2019 squad mix and World Cup group ambitions<\/h2>\n<p>Belgian coach Hugo Broos named 26 players, including 19 who are based locally. Of the group, five are currently playing in Europe and two are featuring in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Among the 10 African qualifiers, Egypt are the only other side expected to lean heavily on home-based talent. Egypt\u2019s approach mirrors a broader comparison to South Africa\u2019s selection, where Hossam Hassan had already chosen 18 home-based players from a preliminary group of 27.<\/p>\n<h3>Captaincy and match schedule<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ronwen Williams, the Sundowns goalkeeper, has been appointed captain of South Africa.<\/li>\n<li>South Africa begin their tournament campaign against co-hosts Mexico in the World Cup opener on June 11.<\/li>\n<li>After Mexico, the team faces the Czech Republic and then South Korea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Tournament format, South Africa\u2019s history, and Broos\u2019 message<\/h2>\n<p>The competition offers a clear pathway to the knockout rounds: group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 32, with the tournament set to feature a record 48 teams. In addition, eight of the 12 teams finishing third in their groups will also qualify for the knockout stage.<\/p>\n<p>South Africa will be chasing progress beyond the first round for the first time in four attempts. They previously exited early as qualifiers at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and then failed to go beyond the opening stage at the 2010 tournament as hosts.<\/p>\n<p>Broos acknowledged that Bafana Bafana will be considered outsiders in Group A, but insisted his squad can make history and earn a second-round berth.<\/p>\n<h3>Broos on unpredictability and his final World Cup<\/h3>\n<p>Speaking with confidence, Broos pointed to the unpredictable nature of football, remarking that shocks are part of every World Cup and asking who would have expected Morocco to reach the semi-finals at the most recent edition.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 World Cup will also be the final chapter of Broos\u2019 football career. At 74, he previously played as a defender for the Belgium team that finished fourth at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>Broos said: \u201cThere cannot be a greater ending to my time as a footballer and a coach than going to a World Cup. I am in charge of a squad of fighters. Who knows what we may achieve?\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>South Africa squad list for the 2026 World Cup<\/h2>\n<h3>Goalkeepers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Ricardo Goss (Siwelele)<\/li>\n<li>Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Defenders<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Aubrey Modiba (Sundowns)<\/li>\n<li>Khuliso Mudau (Sundowns)<\/li>\n<li>Khulumani Ndamane (Sundowns)<\/li>\n<li>Kamogelo Sebelebele (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Nkosinathi Sibisi (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Bradley Cross (Kaizer Chiefs)<\/li>\n<li>Samukele Kabini (Molde\/NOR)<\/li>\n<li>Olwethu Makhanya (Philadelphia Union\/USA)<\/li>\n<li>Thabang Matuludi (Polokwane City)<\/li>\n<li>Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire\/USA)<\/li>\n<li>Ime Okon (Hannover\/GER)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Midfielders<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Oswin Appollis (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Thalente Mbatha (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Relebohile Mofokeng (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Jayden Adams (Sundowns)<\/li>\n<li>Teboho Mokoena (Sundowns)<\/li>\n<li>Themba Zwane (Sundowns)<\/li>\n<li>Sphephelo Sithole (Tondela\/POR)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Forwards<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Evidence Makgopa (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Tshepang Moremi (Orlando Pirates)<\/li>\n<li>Lyle Foster (Burnley\/ENG)<\/li>\n<li>Thapelo Maseko (AEL Limassol\/CYP)<\/li>\n<li>Iqraam Rayners (Sundowns)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates provided the backbone of South Africa\u2019s South Africa 2026 World Cup squad as the final selection was announced in Pretoria on Wednesday, with both clubs supplying eight players apiece and dominating the list of 26. South Africa\u2019s World Cup squad shaped by recent domestic success Sundowns entered the international break [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"South Africa 2026 World Cup Squad: Sundowns, Pirates Stars","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominate South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad, supplying 16 stars as the 26-man list is confi","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>South Africa 2026 World Cup Squad: Sundowns, Pirates Stars<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominate South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad, supplying 16 stars as the 26-man list is confi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Africa 2026 World Cup Squad: Sundowns, Pirates Stars\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominate South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad, supplying 16 stars as the 26-man list is confi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T06:28:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"Sundowns and Pirates power South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad with 16 stars\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T06:28:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":647,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/\",\"name\":\"South Africa 2026 World Cup Squad: Sundowns, Pirates Stars\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T06:28:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"description\":\"Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominate South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad, supplying 16 stars as the 26-man list is confi\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sundowns and Pirates power South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad with 16 stars\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\",\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\"},\"description\":\"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/za.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zibuyile-dladla\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"South Africa 2026 World Cup Squad: Sundowns, Pirates Stars","description":"Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominate South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad, supplying 16 stars as the 26-man list is confi","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"South Africa 2026 World Cup Squad: Sundowns, Pirates Stars","og_description":"Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominate South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad, supplying 16 stars as the 26-man list is confi","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_published_time":"2026-05-28T06:28:17+00:00","author":"Zibuyile Dladla","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zibuyile Dladla","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"Sundowns and Pirates power South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad with 16 stars","datePublished":"2026-05-28T06:28:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/"},"wordCount":647,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/","name":"South Africa 2026 World Cup Squad: Sundowns, Pirates Stars","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-28T06:28:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"description":"Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominate South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad, supplying 16 stars as the 26-man list is confi","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/sundowns-and-pirates-power-south-africas-2026-world-cup-squad-with-16-stars\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sundowns and Pirates power South Africa\u2019s 2026 World Cup squad with 16 stars"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","name":"Zalebs","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e","name":"Zibuyile Dladla","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zibuyile Dladla"},"description":"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.","sameAs":["https:\/\/za.linkedin.com\/in\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a"],"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/author\/zibuyile-dladla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}