Who Are Bafana’s Next Opponents Nicaragua?

With Bafana Bafana continuing their preparations for next month’s FIFA World Cup, many South African supporters will be asking one question ahead of next Friday’s friendly clash in Johannesburg, just who exactly are Nicaragua?

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Nicaragua national football team are currently ranked 131st in the FIFA world rankings and will face South Africa on 29 May before Hugo Broos’ side jets out to Mexico for the World Cup.

The fixture forms part of Bafana’s final preparations ahead of group stage matches against Mexico national football team, Czech Republic national football team and South Korea national football team.

The opposition selected for these friendlies appears to mirror the styles and regions of the teams South Africa will come up against at the tournament. Bafana recently played Panama national football team in another warm-up fixture and now take on another Central American nation in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua are governed by the Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol, which was founded in 1931, while the country became affiliated with FIFA in 1950 and later joined CONCACAF in 1961.

Although Nicaragua have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, they have featured in regional competitions over the years, including the CONCACAF Championship and the Gold Cup.

Their most notable recent achievement came when they qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup after impressive Nations League qualifying performances. However, they finished bottom of their group after defeats to Costa Rica, Haiti and Bermuda.

Nicaragua also qualified directly for the 2023 Gold Cup and earned promotion to Nations League A, only to later be disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.

For Bafana, the match offers another opportunity to fine-tune combinations, build rhythm and adjust to international opposition before football’s biggest stage next month.

Interestingly, the friendly will take place two days after coach Hugo Broos is expected to officially announce his final FIFA World Cup squad at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.