With anticipation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in full swing, on Wednesday the Philadelphia Union learned that another one of their current players will be representing his nation in the upcoming tournament as center back Olwethu Makhanya was named to Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos’ World Cup roster.
The 22-year-old Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South African native has appeared in 42 matches, tallying 3,314 minutes along with one goal during his time with the first team after spending all of 2024 with the second team, helping them win the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference title and earn an appearance in the MLS NEXT Pro Cup.
This will be South Africa’s fourth overall appearance in the World Cup as they previously qualified for the 1998, 2002, and 2010 editions of the tournament.
Makhanya will join Chicago Fire defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi as the two active MLS players named to Bafana Bafana. In a way, that is interesting after Broos’ comments about the league following Mbokazi’s sale to the Fire last fall. However, perhaps over time the South African manager’s views have changed while watching Mbokazi and MLS as a whole, allowing Olwethu to earn his spot earlier this week.
In preparation for the tournament, South Africa will host Nicaragua on Friday, May 29, at Orlando Stadium for the World Cup send-off match before heading to Pachuca, Mexico, which will serve as their base camp during the tournament.
South Africa will compete in Group A of the World Cup group stage consisting of co-hosts Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and Czechia with their group stage matches as follows:
- Mexico on June 11 at 3 p.m. at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City
- Czechia on June 18 at 12 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia
- Republic of Korea on June 24 at 9 p.m. in Monterrey, Mexico
Bafana Bafana has never made it past the group stage during their previous three appearances in the World Cup, but perhaps 2026 is the year that the squad breaks through.
Makhanya, along with Philadelphia Union midfielder Danley Jean-Jacques representing Haiti, marks the first time that two active Union players have been named to their nations’ squads for a World Cup tournament. Olivier Mbaizo was named to Cameroon’s 2022 squad as the only other active member of the Philadelphia Union at the time to be named to a World Cup roster.
Should both Danley and Makhanya prove themselves with positive showings on the world stage, one might wonder how much longer their time in Philadelphia will last with the summer transfer window around the corner. However, there is still a tournament to play, and those things tend to figure themselves out.
For now, Olwethu Makhanya is officially a member of South Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
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