Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Idah Peterside has explained what South Africa must do to avoid a group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.
Bafana Bafana began their World Cup campaign with a disappointing performance at the Estadio Azteca, where goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez secured a 2-0 victory for co-host Mexico on Thursday night.
The match was a feisty encounter, with three red cards shown in total. Mexico had one player sent off, while South Africa were reduced to nine men after Yaya Sithole and Themba Zwane were both dismissed, completing a difficult night for the African side.
Peterside believes South Africa allowed the magnitude of the occasion to affect their performance, which led to an unusually slow and disjointed outing compared to their usual standards.
“First games are never easy because you have seven, eight billion people watching. The pressure, the tension. Most of these players are home-based players. They don’t play in the big leagues in Europe; they play for Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates. I think it affected them a little bit”, the ex-Moroka Swallows goalkeeper told Footy-Africa.
“For the first time, I looked at them and you could see how slow they were in their thinking, actions and reactions.
“You could see the Mexicans and the quickness of the ball. Look at the goal they conceded. It was elementary. They were reckless in attack and reckless in defending.”
How South Africa can bounce back from poor World Cup opener
Bafana Bafana must now avoid defeat in their next group match to prevent falling to the brink of an early elimination from the tournament. What makes their task more difficult is the absence of Sithole and Zwane for their next game due to suspension after their dismissals on the opening night.
According to Peterside, South Africa still have a realistic chance of progressing from the group despite the opening defeat, but must gear up for the challenge that lies ahead.
“It’s psychological. They need to believe. Before this World Cup everybody knew South Africa had a good team. They were playing well and doing well in friendly games”, the former Super Eagles goalkeeper added.
“I think they need a psychologist. Somebody needs to tweak their mind. They need a psychological switch.”
Stronger opposition awaits
South Africa now need to regroup quickly ahead of their remaining two group matches, where they must pick up at least four points to stand a strong chance of qualifying for the knockout stage.
A draw in their next outing could still keep their hopes alive heading into the final matchday, but another defeat could effectively end their chances of reaching the round of 32.
Peterside still believes Bafana Bafana can progress, but warned that there are no easy games and they must brace up to face tough opposition in South Korea and Czech Republic.
“Korea will be very difficult to beat. The Czech people are Europeans. They are quick, they are fast, and their players are 6’4 and 6’5. The South Africans are smaller.
“They need to plan very well, or else, once they lose the next game, they are back home”, he concluded.
South Africa will face Czech Republic on Thursday, June 18, before concluding their group campaign against South Korea on June 25 and will be aiming to secure qualification to the next round for the first time in their history.
