Owen Da Gama Slams Bafana Bafana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Preparations: ‘We Are Scared of Playing Bigger Countries’

With South Africa set to open the 2026 FIFA World Cup against co-hosts Mexico on Thursday, questions are mounting over whether Hugo Broos’ squad has been adequately tested in the build-up to the tournament. Among the most vocal critics is Owen Da Gama, a former head coach of the South African national team, who has taken direct aim at the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) approach to pre-tournament preparation.

“I’m very disappointed, to be honest with you,” Da Gama told KickOff. His frustration centred specifically on the calibre of opponents Bafana Bafana have faced in their warm-up fixtures. “Not only in Nicaragua but for the fact that we played against a national team that is 131st in the world, playing them at home. For me, that is very, very poor preparation.”

South Africa’s pre-tournament schedule has included friendlies against Panama and Nicaragua — nations ranked significantly below the level of opposition they will encounter in the World Cup group stage. Da Gama argued that this pattern reflects a deeper reluctance to embrace competitive challenge. “You’re playing Panama, then you’re playing Nicaragua. I think we just want to keep our record that we’re unbeaten and those types of things. To me, that is very, very poor,” he said.

The former coach drew on his own experience preparing South Africa’s Under-23 side for the Olympic Games as a counterpoint. During that cycle, Da Gama deliberately arranged fixtures against top-ranked nations, absorbing defeats in the process. “When we went to the Olympics with the Under-23 team, we played Brazil away, they beat us; we played Japan away, they beat us,” he recalled. “But when we went to the Olympics, we were well-prepared and we drew with Brazil in the opening game with 10 men.”

For Da Gama, the lesson is clear: high-quality preparation against elite opposition is not optional — it is essential for identifying tactical vulnerabilities and hardening a squad before a major tournament. “So you must go to the World Cup well-prepared. And I think we are scared of playing bigger countries,” he said.

SAFA has also contended with external disruptions in the lead-up to the tournament, including visa complications and travel setbacks that are reported to have affected the team’s preparation schedule. The combination of logistical difficulties and a relatively soft fixture list has fuelled broader concerns among South African football observers.

The stakes could hardly be higher. South Africa’s opener against Mexico at the 2026 World Cup carries significant historical weight — it was on the same stage in 2010 that Siphiwe Tshabalala scored one of the most celebrated goals in African football history, a thunderbolt against Mexico that announced the host nation’s arrival on the global stage. South Africa are among the 48 nations competing in this expanded edition of the tournament, which for the first time is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Whether SAFA’s preparation choices ultimately affect Bafana Bafana’s performance remains to be seen, but Da Gama’s intervention has placed the federation’s decision-making firmly under scrutiny with the tournament now days away.