Mosimane leaves Foster out of first Bafana Bafana squad since return

Pitso Mosimane says Lyle Foster’s lack of regular first-team football was the reason for leaving the striker out of his first Bafana Bafana squad since returning as head coach.

South Africa begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Guinea at Orlando Stadium on September 26, before travelling to Egypt to play Eritrea on September 30.

Bafana Bafana will remain in Egypt for a friendly against the hosts on October 4, giving Mosimane three matches to assess his players and start developing his team.

Foster is the most notable omission from the 30-man squad after recently moving from Burnley to Houston Dynamo on loan in Major League Soccer until June 2027.

Mosimane said he had spoken directly to the 25-year-old before deciding not to select him for the upcoming fixtures.

“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.”

The move to Houston Dynamo gives Foster an opportunity to regain consistent playing time after struggling to establish himself regularly at Burnley.

Mosimane, however, said his immediate priority was selecting players who are active for their clubs and ready to contribute during the international window.

The returning coach has used the squad to introduce several younger players, including Puso Dithejane and Shandre Campbell, who have received their first call-ups under Mosimane.

He is keen to see how the newcomers respond to joining a group containing a sizeable number of 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.”

Dithejane’s selection follows his performances for Chicago Fire, while Campbell has continued his development in Belgium with KV Kortrijk.

Their inclusion underlines Mosimane’s intention to bring through younger talent while retaining an established core of Bafana Bafana internationals.

The three matches will give Dithejane, Campbell and the other new players an early chance to impress the coach. Foster, meanwhile, will aim to use his switch to Major League Soccer to rebuild his form and work his way back into Mosimane’s plans.