Picture: JULIO CESAR AGUILAR / AFP
Image: JULIO CESAR AGUILAR / AFP
For the majority of football fans in South Africa, they will be wondering how they can watch the upcoming Fifa World Cup in the comfort of their own homes - but they will be relieved to know that the national broadcaster will have them covered.
The SABC will endeavour to broadcast every match live between June 11 and July 19.
Bafana Bafana will be returning to the quadrennial showpiece event for the first time since 2010, when they gained entry for the event as hosts.
In fact, the last time Bafana actually qualified for the World Cup was way back in the 2002 staging.
Like in 2010, Bafana will once again take on Mexico in the opening game of the tournament. Of course, Mexico are co-hosts with the USA and Canada this year.
The SABC said the broadcast “is made possible through SABC Sport’s rights acquisition from New World TV, the official rights holder for the 2026 & 2027 Fifa World Cup in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Bafana are in Group A alongside Mexico and South Korea, with the fourth side in the pool still to be confirmed.
Bafana’s exit in the first knockout round at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) earlier this year would not have helped their ambitions at the World Cup. Despite that poor showing, there was no reason not to be optimistic at the main event, believed Andy Townsend.
The former Chelsea and current Premier League pundit Andy Townsend believes there’s every chance that Bafana Bafana can pull off a surprise at the tournament.