FCSB coach confirms Ngezana out of Bafana's WC squad

FC Steaua București (FCSB)'s caretaker coach has claimed Siyabonga Ngezana has been left out of Bafana Bafana's 2026 FIFA World Cup squad, and that the player is disappointed by his exclusion.

Bafana boss Hugo Broos has seemingly opted not to publicly announce a provisional World Cup squad, which can include up to 55 players.

Nevertheless, the FIFA deadline for provisional squad submissions was 14 May. With that being said, some players already know their fate, including Ngezana.

READ| Broos holds the key to Ngezana's FCSB's million-rand payout

According to FCSB caretaker coach Lucian Filip, Ngezana is disappointed after finding out he was not included in Bafana's World Cup squad.

"No. Siyabonga Ngezana was not called up to the World Cup. He is disappointed, but that's life, football doesn't end here," said Lucian Filip at the press conference before the match against Hermannstadt, according to Antena AS.

"He has to respect his club, because of the club he was in the national team's attention. I hope he will be present at the next Championship."

For the first time since moving to Romania, Ngezana will finish the season without a trophy.

His campaign has already been derailed by injury, with the defender making only 16 league appearances this term, according to Transfermarkt.

The Red and Blues were hoping on Ngezana going to the global showpiece to benefit through FIFA's Club Benefits Programme should the 28-year-old star be included in the final squad for the tournament in North America between June and July.

READ | Ngezana: 'Rule number two, never back down'

According to FIFA, clubs are compensated for every day their players spend on international duty at the World Cup.

Even if a player's national team exits at the group stage, their club side can still earn a minimum of around R4 million per player.

The former Kaizer Chiefs defender has recently returned to action for FCSB after a long injury lay-off that had threatened his World Cup dream, making a brief appearance in the win over Farul Constanța in April.