Lyle Foster: Bafana Bafana’s World Cup fate is in their own hands

Bafana Bafana striker Lyle Foster says they can create their own destiny if they focus on themselves and win the remaining three FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Bafana will host Nigeria in the first of those three qualifiers at Toyota Stadium here in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night (6 pm).

A win would extend their points tally at the top of Group C to 19 with two games to go, edging them closer to securing their ticket to the 2026 global showpiece in North America — Canada, the US, and Mexico.

“Our fate is in our hands,” Foster said. “If we needed a miracle or something, then I think that would have been different. But we are now in a position where we can do it on our own, so our focus is on ourselves.”

With Bafana currently the hunted team in Group C, the general notion is that they are under pressure to consolidate their top spot. But Foster disagrees.

“I don’t necessarily think there’s pressure on us,” Foster said. “I think at the moment we are where we wanted to be in the group, and that’s a positive.

“I think the pressure is on the guys who are trying to catch us, but that doesn’t mean we should take our foot off the pedal.”

Bafana had a perfect start to this window, beating Lesotho 3-0 at Toyota Stadium on Friday. It was a crucial victory that brought them some breathing space amid the uncertainty surrounding the ineligibility of Teboho Mokoena in March.

Foster added that they need to continue with the same winning mentality going into the remaining three games, as that will keep them on track.

“I think we should just have the same mentality, keep things steady, take it game by game, and stay humble,” he said. “I don’t necessarily think there’s pressure — the pressure is on those who are trying to catch us.

“I think we had a good start, but the most important thing is to keep pushing forward and make sure that we seal it.