Several Kaizer Chiefs stars came agonizingly close to securing a spot at the FIFA World Cup 2026, but their efforts in South Africa’s qualification campaign were far from unrewarded. While only Bradley Cross made Hugo Broos’ final 26-man squad, four other Amakhosi players—Thabiso Monyane, Mduduzi Shabalala, Sibongiseni Mthethwa and Given Msimango—played pivotal roles during the qualifiers. FIFA set aside $100 million (R1.62 billion) for clubs releasing players for the preliminary competition, and as a result, each Chiefs representative earned approximately R39,000 per match-day appearance. Shabalala, who featured in four qualifiers, banked R156,000; Mthethwa and Msimango each took home R78,000 for two appearances; and Monyane collected R39,000 for his involvement against Nigeria. In total, the quartet pocketed R351,000 for their contributions to Bafana Bafana’s successful push to the tournament.
The compensation provided some comfort for those whose World Cup dreams fell just short. Yet a handful of Chiefs stars came even closer, only to be heartbreakingly omitted from Broos’ final squad. Amakhosi captain Brandon Petersen, alongside Lebohang Maboe and Monyane, were among six players included in the preliminary