Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has sent a message of support to South Africa at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup. Bafana Bafana are preparing for their final group stage match against South Korea at Monterrey Stadium on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
South Africa's World Cup Campaign So Far
South Africa qualified for the 23rd edition of the tournament by finishing top of CAF Qualification Group C, despite a three-point deduction. They amassed 16 points, ahead of Nigeria's Super Eagles on 15 points and Benin Republic on 14.
Bafana Bafana began their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11. Goals from Julian Quiñones and Raul Jimenez secured Mexico's first-ever victory in a World Cup opening match after five defeats and two draws, including a stalemate against South Africa at the 2010 World Cup. South Africa also became the first team since 2006 to have two players sent off in a FIFA World Cup match.
However, South Africa bounced back with a valuable 1-1 draw against Czechia at Atlanta Stadium on June 18. Michal Sadílek gave the Europeans an early lead in the sixth minute, but a much-improved South African side continued to push forward and were rewarded in the 83rd minute when Teboho Mokoena converted a penalty to earn his side a crucial point, according to Al Jazeera.
Troost-Ekong's Message of Support
William Troost-Ekong believes South Africa deserve their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to GOAL, the former Watford defender praised the progress made by Bafana Bafana and highlighted the improvement in their style of play in recent years.
The 2023 AFCON silver medallist also admitted that Nigeria struggled during the qualification campaign before eventually securing a place in the intercontinental playoffs held in Morocco last November. Troost-Ekong noted that South Africa's rise has been built on consistency and organisation, adding that they have shown they can compete with some of the best teams on the international stage.
He said: “I think I probably agree with South’s critics in a sense that the opening game wasn’t where everyone expected them to be. Normally Bafana Bafana have a very clear playing style, and it was good to see that in the second game against Czechia. Bafana were consistent in the qualifiers, and we [Nigeria] were playing catch-up from the first game, and we dropped a lot of points, so at the end they qualified and we didn’t. So, they deserve to be at the World Cup.”
Troost-Ekong Also Backs Ghana
Legit.ng earlier reported that William Troost-Ekong believes Ghana can earn at least a point when they face England in their crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup clash in Foxborough on June 23. The former Super Eagles captain has backed African teams to perform strongly in their respective groups at the tournament.
