Right holder in the South African national team, Ngezana was left out of the squad » Coach's explanation
Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:58 p.m. / Updated Monday, November 17, 2025, 4:05 p.m.
Siyabonga Ngezana (28), one of South Africa's most important players in the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, was not part of his national team's squad for the friendly against Zambia. His colleagues beat him 3-1 in the last test before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hugo Broos, the coach of South Africa, offered explanations by making the decision not to summon the defender of the champion of Romania. He wanted to test several players he could rely on at the final tournament in Morocco later this year and early next year (December 21 to January 18).
Ngezana, out of the South African team
The Africa Cup of Nations is about to start and South Africa is one of the teams to qualify for the final tournament. FCSB defender Siyabonga Ngezana is one of the most important players in the national team, but he was not included in the squad for the warm-up match against Zambia, which South Africa won 3-1.
According to the publication FarPost, the coach explained that he wanted to see new players, who could be stopped in the squad for the final tournament.
Players were missing from the squad. For example, Ngezana. I didn't call him up because I wanted to give other players a chance to show what they can do and see if I can rely on them at the Africa Cup of Nations.
– Hugo Broos, South Africa coach
Even if the Romanian champion was not summoned, he is expected to be part of the final tournament. The Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. South Africa's schedule is as follows:
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South Africa – Angola, December 21, 21:30
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Egypt v South Africa, December 26, 19:00
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Zimbabwe v South Africa, December 29, 9:30 p.m
The defender from FCSB will have a duel with the Romanian coach Mario Marinică. In early November, he became Zimbabwe's coach.
In addition to participating in the African Cup of Nations, a competition with which it is accustomed, South Africa qualified for the World Championship in 2026. The national team “Bafana Bafana” also participated in 3 final tournaments. In 1998, 2002 and 2010 respectively when they hosted the World Cup.
7 matchesSiyabonga Ngezana played for the South African national team
