PSL blamed as Bafana capitulate in historic match

The PSL's powers that be have come in for some stick after a listless Bafana Bafana lost 2-0 to Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup.

Bafana were undone by sloppy defending in conceding the first goal as Sphephelo Sithole made a mess of a pass from Ronwen Williams before being dispossessed by Erik Lira, who assisted Julian Quinones.

READ: How Bafana analysts got it wrong in profiling Mexico, Broos to blame?

The final nail in the coffin was hammered during a period in which the home team had numerical advantage after Sithole and Themba Zwane were red-carded.

Thursday's result at the Estadio Azteca puts Hugo Broos' men in a spot of bother regarding possibilities of qualifying for the next round.

The new 48-team format gives room for the eight best third-placed teams to advance from the group stage along with the top two in each of the 12 groups.

"It was a shocking game," is the reaction of Walter Rautman, the coaching veteran, as he spoke to KickOff.

"But the problem is what I've previously highlighted: our PSL standard is so poor, and it shows now in the national team.

"They allowed clubs with history, like Wits, [Moroka] Swallows, [Bloemfontein] Celtic, and SuperSport [United], who produced top players, to be sold to the highest bidder, who has no history, no background, no fanbase, no top-class players, playing in front of 500 fans at a low standard.

READ | Mahlangu: When I saw that Bafana didn't have a number ten…

"The PSL is to blame for this.

"Only [Mamelodi] Sundowns and [Orlando] Pirates have quality football. They are not challenged by these weak teams with low standards. Even a blind man could see this coming," he adds.

South Africa next face Czech Republic in the USA on Thursday, with the latter having also lost their first match against South Korea.

Related tags

2026 Fifa World Cup Bafana Bafana Premier Soccer League Walter Rautmann