Lyle Foster misses chance to break into Bafana Bafana’s all-time top 10

Lyle Foster’s omission from Pitso Mosimane’s first Bafana Bafana squad has dealt a significant blow to his hopes of moving into the top 10 of South Africa’s all-time leading scorers.

Foster was named in the preliminary squad but was left out of the final group selected for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea, as well as the international friendly against Egypt.

Mosimane declined to discuss players who had not made his final selection when questioned about the omissions.

The decision came after South Africa opened their Group D qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. Defenders Ime Okon and Samukele Kabini scored the goals that secured the win, while Mosimane highlighted the limited number of strikers available to him.

Foster, who has 10 international goals, had been the leading scorer in the current Bafana Bafana squad. His most recent goal came in South Africa’s 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe during the group stage of the 2025 AFCON tournament.

The Burnley forward is currently on loan at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo.

He is two goals short of breaking into the national team’s top 10, with former winger Siphiwe Tshabalala and ex-forward Tokelo Rantie both on 12 goals. Tshabalala is listed 10th, while Rantie occupies ninth place.

At 26, Foster had been viewed as the leading candidate from the current generation to challenge the national scoring record of 31 goals, set by former striker Benni McCarthy.

However, his exclusion from Mosimane’s first squad suggests that opportunity may have been delayed, with the national team appearing to move in a different direction for now.

The responsibility of pursuing McCarthy’s record has instead fallen more heavily on Orlando Pirates winger Oswin Appollis, who has scored eight goals for South Africa.

Mosimane’s squad will continue its 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Eritrea before facing Egypt in a friendly. Foster will not be involved in those fixtures after failing to retain his place in the final squad.