Bafana Bafanas Prospective Pre World Cup Friendly Rivals Both Placed Below Lesotho in Rankings

South Africas national team has yet to clash with these two outfits in any official fixtures, so should the matches proceed, they would mark encounters with the 97th and 98th different countries since the nations return to worldwide football competitions.

In a discussion on 947 alongside Robert Marawa, Broos shared plans for a clash against Nicaragua on 29 May at a location yet to be announced, plus another against Puerto Rico from their training facility in Pachuca, Mexico.

These teams are not ones that many local supporters would recognise, hence a brief profile of each follows.

Nicaragua

World ranking: 131

Coach: Juan Cruz Real

Nicaraguas peak position in global standings has been 92nd, highlighting the standard of play involved.

The team largely comprises players from domestic leagues, with nobody active in prominent European competitions.

Leading the attack is ex Venezuelan youth player Jaime Moreno, now with Finlands KuPS, and veteran wide man Juan Barrera, who has experience in Europes lesser tiers and often leads as skipper.

They came last in their qualification group for the World Cup, collecting just four points out of 18 available, yet managed an impressive 2 0 triumph over capable Honduras, a outcome that in turn blocked Hondurass path to the tournament finals since Haiti advanced in their stead.

In a recent away exhibition against Russia during the March break, they fell to a 3 1 defeat.

Puerto Rico

World ranking: 156

Coach: Jay Mims

This is yet another team near the bottom of the rankings, similar to Nicaragua in that their best ever spot was 97th, reached back in March 2024. To illustrate, even Fiji and Solomon Islands sit above them now.

For Bafana, such a game amounts to little more than a workout session, though it provides essential match minutes and scope to polish certain game plans.

Puerto Ricos roster includes plenty from Americas minor professional circuits and a few from Spains lower echelons, yet none approach elite European divisions.

They faced Argentina in an exhibition last October and suffered a 6 0 loss, while earlier in June 2025 they held Nicaragua to a 1 1 stalemate.

During the March international period this year, they took part in two FIFA Series encounters, securing victories against Guam by 4 0 and the US Virgin Islands by 2 0, although both opponents fall beyond the top 200 worldwide.