Jamaica to provide final test for Bafana Bafana ahead of Mexico opener

South Africa will open the 48-team tournament on 11 June in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup opener at FNB Stadium, with The Reggae Boyz having also been one of the national team’s final preparatory matches before that tournament 16 years ago. 

SAFA Chief Executive Officer Lydia Monyepao has told the national broadcaster that they have all but secured the fixture, though she refused to reveal the opponent until the contract is signed.

"We have secured Nicaragua to play Bafana on 29 May, which will be in Johannesburg, that was the [opponent] selection of the coach by looking at the playing style of Mexico," said Monyepao.

"Now we are working on getting another match when the team arrives [in Mexico] in June, and we have secured a match for the team with the VP [Linda Zwane], and it will be announced shortly.

"It's a matter of signing the contract because we need to agree with the member association that we are dealing with in terms of the announcement, otherwise what if something happens and we don't sign the contract.

"But we are 99 percent there and we are almost at the line, and we have agreed everything, it's just a matter of them returning the signed contract."

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Bafana depart for Mexico this weekend and are expected to play their final friendly on 3-4 June in Pachuca, where they will be based for the duration of their tournament, and SAFA vice-president Linda Zwane says they are planning under Broos' guidance. 

"Look, we have a game here in South Africa and we have a game there [in Mexico], which we will announce, but everything we do is on the basis what the coach requests," he explained.

"So if the coach says, I'm not interested in playing, we will abide by that because these are the people who know what they are doing and we have to, as an association, support the coach in whatever they might want to see happening."