Ouaddou Sees World Cup as Opportunity for Pirates Players

Orlando Pirates coach believes upcoming World Cup can motivate his players to perform for South Africa.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained why he believes the 2026 FIFA World Cup can be beneficial for his team. Ouaddou noted that many Pirates players were part of the South African national team that crashed out of the recent Africa Cup of Nations, and said the World Cup presents a chance for those players to prove themselves and earn spots on the World Cup squad.

Why it matters

With several Orlando Pirates players representing South Africa, the upcoming World Cup provides an opportunity for them to showcase their skills on the international stage and potentially earn spots on the national team's World Cup roster. This could be a motivating factor for the Pirates players as they look to perform well for their club.

The details

Ouaddou acknowledged that the South African national team's early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations was disappointing, but he believes it gives head coach Hugo Broos a chance to evaluate all of his options ahead of the World Cup. The Pirates coach sees the World Cup as a 'big challenge and a big opportunity' for his players to prove themselves and earn spots on the national team.

  • The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place.
  • The Africa Cup of Nations was recently held in Morocco, where South Africa was eliminated in the Round of 16.

The players

Abdeslam Ouaddou

The head coach of Orlando Pirates football club.

Hugo Broos

The head coach of the South African national football team.

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What they’re saying

“I think it's just an important moment for our players, they have a big challenge to perform now coming back from AFCON because they have three, four months - there is another big challenge and a big opportunity for the coach of the national team to select the best players of the country to go to represent South Africa for the World Cup.”

— Abdeslam Ouaddou, Orlando Pirates Head Coach (Yahoo Sports)

What’s next

The South African national team will begin preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with head coach Hugo Broos evaluating his player pool, including those from Orlando Pirates.

The takeaway

The upcoming 2026 World Cup presents an opportunity for Orlando Pirates players to earn spots on the South African national team and showcase their skills on the international stage, which could motivate them to perform well for their club as they aim to impress the national team coach.