South Africa: 'Bafana Bafana Will Be Ready to Face Mexico' - Hugo Broos

South Africa coach Hugo Broos says his side will be ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Thursday.

Bafana Bafana played to a 1-1 draw with Jamaica on Saturday and Broos admits they need to go up a gear, but says they are still acclimatising to the conditions at the Pachuca base in Mexico.

"Maybe we still need a few more days to adapt to the high altitude. I saw players who could not make the efforts anymore that they wanted to make. That is certainly because of the high altitude," he said.

"I am sure with the four days we have remaining, we will be ready for the game on Thursday.

"I knew we had to be here so many days before (the tournament kicks off) because we need that adaptation and to be careful also with what we do in training."

Broos insists his side will be ready to face Mexico and says they have the right game-plan in mind, it just comes down to execution.

"We know what to do against Mexico. We know what to do when they have the ball and when we have possession. The final details will be worked on in our next two training sessions. Everything is focused on this game," he said.

"They (the Mexican players) are all dangerous, they are a very good team with much movement and solidarity. You can see they really want to be world champions. You can see that with the way they play. We will have to be at our best level if we want to get a result. It is a very complete team."

Broos says the players should relish the experience of featuring in the opening game of the tournament in front of a partisan home crowd.

"It will be a special and fantastic experience because my players have never played in that situation. For us it will be very important to stick to the game-plan and we don't listen to what is happening in the stands," he said.

"We have felt the support of South Africans (back home) and that is what we need to remember on Thursday when the game starts. All those people who believe in us for the moment."

For Broos, it is a full-circle moment after he played in the opening game of the 1986 World Cup for Belgium against the same opponents and at the same venue.

"It was a fantastic event and something I will never forget 40 years ago when we played the opening game against Mexico. That was when I felt how special the World Cup is," he said.

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"I was so happy as a play