Bafana Bafana striker Iqraam Rayners wants nothing more than to kick South Africa binne innie 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.
The Stellies ace, 28, was included in coach Hugo Broos’ squad for the upcoming Group C qualifiers against Nigeria this Friday in Uyo and Zimbabwe next Tuesday at Free State Stadium.
While there is still a long road to claiming one of the nine African spots directly up for grabs at the tournament, Rayners can’t wait for the day that they get to stamp their passport.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Rayners says: “Obviously it will be big for me as a boy from Cape Town, coming out of the ghetto, to help his country qualify for the World Cup.
“It will be a big achievement. I’ve never played qualifiers before and to get the opportunity now to take the team to the World Cup, for me it will be a great opportunity.”
Rayners has been in superb form this season, scoring 15 goals in 28 appearances for his club Stellenbosch FC.
Having cut his teeth at Kenpark United before joining Santos as a rightback at one stage, Rayners made his international debut for South Africa in last year’s Cosafa Cup and also played in friendlies against Andorra and Algeria this year.
Should he get the opportunity to play against Nigeria, Rayners is confident that he can produce what is expected of him and says: “I just want to say thanks to the coach [Hugo Broos] for believing in me. It’s a great opportunity.
“In the camp we had, the coach gave me instructions on what to do and I have the confidence to do what he asked me to do and I’m happy to do it.”
With eight games to play in the group which also includes leaders Rwanda, Lesotho and Benin, South Africa are second after just two rounds.
The top team in each of the nine groups qualifies for the World Cup, while the four best second-placed team will go into playoffs to qualify for the inter-confederation playoff matches.