By AFP and ReutersPublished On 28 May 202628 May 2026South Africa has named uncapped defenders Olwethu Makhanya and Bradley Cross in its World Cup squad, with recent major trophy winners Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates dominating the roster.Both teams had eight players each in South Africa’s FIFA World Cup squad named in Pretoria on Wednesday.Sundowns won the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League for the second time last Sunday, defeating Moroccan rivals FAR Rabat 2-1 on aggregate in the final.A day earlier, Pirates were crowned South African Premiership champions for the first time since 2012, ending a run of eight consecutive league titles by Sundowns.A surprise omission was Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen, whose outstanding form helped his club finish third behind Pirates and Sundowns in the premiership.He was set to be called up for World Cup warm-up matches against Panama two months ago, only to be sidelined by appendix surgery.There were a few surprises from coach Hugo Broos as he largely stuck with the players who earned a first appearance at the global tournament for Bafana Bafana in 16 years, with 36-year-old playmaker Themba Zwane also finding a place.Broos included 19 local players in his 26-man squad; five play in Europe and two in the United States. South Africa coach Hugo Broos announced his World Cup squad on Wednesday [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]South Africa face cohosts Mexico in the tournament opener on June 11, before their Group A fixtures against the Czech Republic in Atlanta (June 18) and South Korea in Monterrey (June 24 …
