Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has expressed his disappointment regarding the poor state of the Free State Stadium pitch in Bloemfontein ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria’s Super Eagles.

South Africa is scheduled to host their neighbour Lesotho on September 5, before facing a challenging match against the Super Eagles four days later.

In a recent announcement of his 23-man squad, Broos did not hold back his criticism of the venue, which was expected to be in optimal condition following the COSAFA Cup held there in June.

“I am a bit disappointed. I was in Bloemfontein and I saw the pitch,” Broos was quoted on iol.co.za.

“They had six weeks to fix it. I have observed the efforts made by other cities – Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Polokwane. I am quite disappointed that they did not do the same.

“Even the training pitch in Bloemfontein is bad. Lesotho are the host (of the first game), so we can’t really complain. But then we have Nigeria, and we are disappointed.”

It’s clear from Broos’s remarks that he is concerned about the implications of a poor pitch on the performance of his team.

In a strategic shift, Bafana will now stay in Johannesburg from Monday and will only make their way to Bloemfontein on Thursday for their matches.

Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana are top of Group C on 13 points while the Super Eagles are fourth on seven points.

In the first leg in Uyo, the Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw.