Lyle Foster Confident as South Africa Aim for World Cup Spot

Lyle Foster, who plays for Burnley, scored in South Africa’s 3-0 win over Lesotho last Friday. He believes the team can stay focused and work hard to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

South Africa last played in the World Cup in 2010, when they hosted the tournament. Now, they are close to qualifying again, but still have a few difficult matches ahead.

Nigeria are still in the race too. A win against South Africa on Tuesday could help them stay in the fight to qualify.

Foster Says Team Is Relaxed and Ready

Foster, who turned 25 recently, says the mood in the South African camp is positive. He also scored against Manchester United just before the international break, which has boosted his confidence.

“There’s no real pressure on us,” he told TimesLive ZA. “We’re in the position we want to be. The pressure is on teams like Nigeria, who are trying to catch us. But we still need to stay sharp.”

He added that the team must take each game seriously.

“We just need to focus, take it one game at a time, and stay humble. The main goal is to finish the job and qualify,” Foster said.

Current Group Standings

• South Africa are top of CAF World Cup Qualifiers Group C with 16 points and a goal difference of +8.

• Benin are second with 11 points.

• Nigeria are third with 10 points, just one behind Benin.

Benin are coached by Gernot Rohr, who used to manage the Nigerian national team.