South Africa will step up its preparations for the 2026 World Cup with two friendly matches against Panama during the March international window, the South African Football Association has confirmed.
Bafana Bafana, under the guidance of head coach Hugo Broos, are scheduled to face the Central American side on 27 and 31 March as part of a broader programme aimed at sharpening the team ahead of the global tournament.
The federation said the fixtures form a key element of the national side’s build-up.
“These matches are a crucial part of coach Hugo Broos’s preparation program ahead of the World Cup,” SAFA said in a statement published on its official website.
The decision to arrange two games against the same opponent reflects a desire for continuity and focused assessment at this stage of planning.
According to SAFA, Panama were selected because of the specific challenge they present, with the federation describing them as “a competitive, physical, and tactically rigorous test, perfectly suited to the level that Bafana Bafana will face at the World Cup.”
South Africa have been drawn in Group A for the 2026 tournament, where they will face Mexico, South Korea and the eventual winner of a play-off involving Denmark, North Macedonia, Ireland and the Czech Republic.
The diversity of styles in that group has influenced the choice of friendly opposition, with Panama expected to provide a demanding benchmark across two matches in quick succession.
The March window will also give Broos the opportunity to evaluate his squad in a competitive but controlled environment, allowing him to test combinations, assess tactical adjustments and measure physical readiness.
With limited international dates available before the World Cup, each friendly carries added significance for both coaching staff and players seeking to secure their places.
SAFA confirmed that both matches will be staged in South Africa, offering home support and familiar conditions as the team fine-tunes its approach.
However, the federation has yet to announce the venues for either fixture, with further details expected to be released in due course.
As anticipation builds for the World Cup, these games against Panama represent an early but important marker in South Africa’s preparations.
The focus will be on performance rather than results, but the encounters are expected to provide valuable insight into how Bafana Bafana are shaping up ahead of a demanding group-stage campaign on the world’s biggest stage.
