Tsohon kyaftin ɗin Bafana Bafana, Steven Pienaar, ya yi hasashe cewa Afirka ta Kudu za ta doke ɗaya daga cikin ƙasashen masu masaukin baki Mexico da 2-0 a wasansu na farko na Rukunin A na FIFA World Cup 2026 a Estadio Azteca ranar Alhamis, 11 ga Yuni — duk da damuwa mai girma bayan jerin wasanni biyar ba tare da nasara ba kafin gasar.
Tawagar Hugo Broos ba ta samu nasara a duk shekara ta 2026, fari da ya faro ne daga ficewarsu a zagaye na 16 na Kofin Ƙasashen Afirka a hannun Cameroon a Morocco a watan Janairu. Wasannin adonan da suka yi da Panama da Nicaragua ma ba su ba masu goyon baya kwarin gwiwa kafin babbar matatakin kwallon ƙafa a duniya.
Kalubalen ba ya sauƙaƙa a takarda. Afirka ta Kudu na shiga gasar a matsayin ƙasa ta 60 a duniya — ƙasa da dukkan abokan hamayyarsu uku na Rukunin A. Mexico suna matsayi na 14, Korea ta Kudu na 25, da Czech Republic na 39.
Hasashen Pienaar mai ƙarfin hali
Duk da haka, tsohon ɗan wasan tsakiya na Everton, wanda ya wakilci Bafana Bafana a FIFA World Cup 2010, ya ƙi bari damuwa ta rinjaye shi. Pienaar yana ganin cewa tawagar Mexico ta yanzu ba ta kai matsayin tawagar 2010 ba, kuma tawagar Afirka ta Kudu ta yau tana da ƙarfi fiye da wadda ya taka leda a cikinta.
«Ina tsammanin zai kasance 2-0 don Bafana Bafana kuma ina tsammanin wannan ƙungiya ta fi kyau da ƙungiyar da muke da ita, kuma Mexico ba ta da ƙarfi kamar ƙungiyar 2010», an nakalto shi daga The South African.
Goyon bayan Igesund
Tsohon kocin Bafana Bafana, Gordon Igesund, ya raba wannan fata, yana mai nuna cewa tsallakewa zuwa gasar kanta ta kasance tafiya mai wahala wadda ke nuna ƙarfin halin wannan ƙungiya.
«Mun san zai zama wasa mai wahala, amma ina tsammanin muna da hali. Shiga wannan matakin ya yi wahala sosai», ya shaida wa SABC. «A wani lokaci mun rasa maki, akwai ƙalubale, amma sun shawo kan dukkan cikas a hanya.»
