Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane admits he was surprised to discover that Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates make up more than half of his first 30-man squad since returning to the helm, as he also addressed the high-profile omission of striker Lyle Foster.
With Sundowns providing 13 players and Pirates contributing six for the upcoming international window, the two dominant forces in South African football heavily anchor the selection. Sundowns alone account for nearly half the squad, but Mosimane insists the heavy representation simply reflects where the country’s top talent currently resides.
"I was so shocked (on Sunday) and I told someone that I didn’t realise we had so many players from Mamelodi Sundowns because when you choose, you choose the best left-backs, you have Aubrey and then Basadien," he said.
The coach pointed to Sundowns’ recent triumph in the African-Asian-Pacific Cup and their position atop the domestic standings as justification for his picks.
"And then you can ask me, but they come from the same team, but those are the ones that won a trophy last week and are top of the log, and it’s the same as goalkeepers."
While acknowledging Bafana might benefit from player depth spread across more clubs, Mosimane feels no need to artificially alter his selections.
"Maybe another one should be playing at another top team, but that’s not my situation. I found it like this, I’m not here to shake the tree — people can ask those questions of why they’re all at the same team."
For Mosimane, club affiliation remains secondary to individual quality and match fitness — a standard that directly impacted Foster’s exclusion.
The striker, who recently joined MLS side Houston Dynamo on loan from Burnley through June 2027, was left out after a personal conversation with the Bafana coach regarding his lack of regular minutes.
"I spoke to him personally; he hasn’t been playing, he’s not on the team sheet and hasn’t played any friendly games, just a few minutes here and there, and he has moved [to a new team as well]. The last time we saw him play was in Mexico."
While the move to Houston gives Foster a fresh opportunity to rebuild his form and force his way back into national contention, Mosimane’s immediate priority is players who are match-ready and capable of contributing right away.
Alongside the established core, Mosimane has integrated fresh blood into the group. Youngsters Puso Dithejane (Chicago Fire) and Shandre Campbell (KV Kortrijk) earned call-ups following strong club performances abroad.
Mosimane is eager to see how the newcomers adapt to sharing a dressing room with players who represented South Africa at the 2026 World Cup.
"It’s very exciting for me to see what the reaction of the young ones is going to be, what do they see when they look at this team, do they see the World Cup and now they have a chance."
Bafana kick off their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Guinea at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, followed by a match against Eritrea in Egypt next week Wednesday. They wrap up the window in Egypt with an international friendly against the hosts on 4 October, giving Mosimane three crucial fixtures to assess his options and begin shaping the squad. | IOL Sport