South Africa began their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Benin at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Percy Tau and Khuliso Mudau gave Hugo Broos’s men a strong first-half lead, but a second-half strike from Steve Mounie for Benin ensured a tense finish in front of the home crowd.
Bafana Bafana made a dream start when Percy Tau found the net inside two minutes. The Al Ahly forward latched onto a clever combination from Aubrey Modiba and Sphephelo Sithole, slotting past Saturnin Allagbe to open the scoring — his first international goal in over two years.
South Africa continued to dominate possession, with Tau and Themba Zwane linking up dangerously throughout the half. Their persistence paid off just before the interval when a loose ball fell kindly for Khuliso Mudau, who volleyed home from close range to make it 2–0 at halftime.
After the break, Benin clawed their way back into the contest. A swift counter-attack on 70 minutes saw Jodel Dossou deliver a pinpoint cross to Steve Mounie, who finished confidently past Ronwen Williams to reduce the deficit.
The visitors pressed hard for an equaliser, but South Africa managed to regain composure and hold firm in the closing stages. Broos’s substitutions, including Nkosinathi Sibisi and Zakhele Lepasa, helped steady the defence as Bafana Bafana closed out a vital win to go top of Group C.
South Africa will next travel to Butare to face Rwanda on Tuesday, while Benin remain in Durban to take on Lesotho.
Final score:
South Africa 2 (Tau 2’, Mudau 45+2’)
Benin 1 (Mounie 70’)
South Africa XI: Williams, Mudau, Mvala (Sibisi 61’), Xulu, Modiba, Mokoena, Sithole, Zwane (Mthethwa 80’), Hlongwane (Mayambela 80’), Tau, Makgopa (Lepasa 52’)
Benin XI: Allagbe, D’Almeida (Imourane 72’), Dossou (Soukou 72’), A. Hountondji (Traore 46’), C. Hountondji, Kiki (Gomez 84’), Fiogbe (Dodo 67’), Moumini, Tijani, Olaitan, Mounie