Broos would accept defeat in friendlies if new players impress

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says knowing much about their opponents – Namibia and DR Congo – is not important in the upcoming friendlies as his focus is on his new players' performances in the team.

Bafana will host Namibia on Saturday (3pm) and Congo on Tuesday (5pm), both at Orlando Stadium.

The two games are part of Bafana's preparation for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which start in November and the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in January.

“We know we have a plan. I said winning is not really important. I'm sure I can be happy if we lose having done positive things, certainly from the new players," Broos said.

"But on the other hand, we know that you can't be happy to lose games.

“But for these two games, I will look at the performances and results differently than next month's games [Eswatini on October 13 and Ivory Coast on October 17], because those are important, given they are the preparation games for the World Cup qualifiers in November."

The Belgian is also impressed with the players' mentality, saying it has improved from last year.

Bafana are on a seven-match unbeaten streak where they've won five and drawn two and Broos said he saw the mentality change from last year.

"We made a big progression if you compare that with one year ago. The mentality is totally different and that's because of the players we have," he said.

"Those players know now they are coming to the national team and they are honoured to be here. They are hungry and want results because they want to go to the Afcon.

"I saw last year when we played against Mozambique and Sierra Leone that there is a different mentality and I'm very happy with it and this is something very important."

Broos finally had a full complement of players in his squad as overseas-based Lebo Mothiba (France) and Mihlali Mayambela (Cyprus) were the last to report for camp.