South Africa’s Nkota Cites Injury For World Cup Squad Snubs

Following his surprise omission from Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup preliminary squad, Mohau Nkota has broken his silence to reveal that injury layout the blame.

The winger posted a photograph on his Instagram story depicting himself in bed wearing a medical leg brace. Accompanying the image was a poignant message reading, “Better days are on the way; just wait,” punctuated with a bandaged heart emoji.

The social media update finally sheds light on Nkota’s recent absence from club football. He has sat out the last three fixtures for Saudi Pro League outfit Al Ettifaq. His final appearance before sidelined came in a goalless stalemate against Al-Najma, where he started but was hauled off around the 70th minute for Mukhtar Ali. Up until now, his fitness status had been shrouded in mystery, particularly as his recent months have been highly disruptive due to a tragic family bereavement and patchy form.

Nkota’s season had initially started in sublime fashion, culminating in a starting berth for South Africa during their opening 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match—a 2-1 victory over Angola in Marrakech. However, an indifferent performance saw him substituted at half-time, with Tshepang Moremi making a decisive impact off the bench to assist Lyle Foster’s winner. Since then, Nkota has found international opportunities scarce, acting as an unused substitute against Egypt and playing briefly against Zimbabwe, before being locked out of the side entirely during their last-16 defeat to Cameroon.

National team coach Hugo Broos had previously omitted the former Orlando Pirates star from March’s friendlies against Panama, citing personal issues and loss of club form. Though Nkota had recently shown glimpses of his peak self in Saudi Arabia, his versatility as a winger, forward, or wing-back won’t be available to Broos. Confirming the setback, his agency, P Management, posted: “Mohau Nkota sustained an injury during training on the 11th of May 2026. Get well soon.”