Twenty-one players have been dropped as Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos announced his final twenty-three-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Group C games set for this month.

South Africa will play Benin at home and Rwanda away in their opening two qualifying games during the November international break.

Broos initially named a forty-four-member preliminary squad and the selection has been trimmed to 23 players.

The final team is dominated by locally-based players with a few foreign-based stars such as Percy Tau of Al Ahly in Egypt, Bongokuhle Hlongwani (USA) and Lebo Mothiba (France).

Headlining the list of dropped players is Burnley forward Lyle Foster, who has taken a break from football to receive mental health treatment.

The 23-year-old is in the care of specialists, as he continues to deal with the issue.