Mark Fish Tips Mbokazi and Okon to Become Europe's Next South African Stars

Bafana Bafana legend Mark Fish says the next step for SA football is to make it a habit of qualifying for World Cups. 

The 1996 AFCON winner believes the sport in the nation is in a good state, but argues there is room for improvement following Bafana Bafana's historic 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. 

Where Is SA Football?

Gone are the days when South African football was the laughing stock.

As a country, South Africa is known for being a resilient people, having survived tough times, such as the apartheid era, that would have kept many nations buried deep beneath the ground.

However, South Africa built the Rainbow Nation from the ruins of the apartheid era and became one of the world’s most respected countries.

When Bafana Bafana turned their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign around following the embarrassing defeat to Mexico in the tournament opener, to go on to qualify for the round of 32, it reminded the country and the rest of the world of the nature of the people that make up this country: strong, courageous and persevering.

Moreover, what Bafana Bafana achieved in North America over the past couple of weeks has put the spotlight on the state of football in the country.

Despite the many challenges the sport faces in the country, including incompetent administration at times, the sport is in a relatively healthy state because how else would Bafana Bafana have qualified for the round of 32 had the sport been in absolute shambles?

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Mark Fish, in an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.co.za, says football is thriving in the country and warns that there is still a lot of work to do to get the sport in an even healthier state.

Fish believes the next step for SA football is to look to qualify for the World Cups consistently, as the 2026 campaign was the first time South Africa qualified for the World Cup since the 2002 showpiece event.

“Certainly, you can give a tap on the back to how many things are done here in South African football. When you have Sundowns winning the African Champions League, certainly (good things are happening in SA football),” Fish told SportsBoom.co.za.

“But then also, it’s always been a challenge when we go all the way back to 96, 98, 2000; we like to pat ourselves on the back and say, ‘oh, look at us, this is what we're doing’. But let's also learn from what we need to do to go to that next step, to consistently qualify for World Cups." 

“Now these guys have set a target. When we go to the World Cup, we're not just going there to represent Africa; we're going there because now we want to get to the round of 32 and progress to the next round, the round of 16." 

“So for me, the things that we are good at, certainly continue to be good at them. The things that we need to learn from- let's learn from them and let's develop.”

The Future: Mbokazi & Okon

As a former centre-back himself during his playing days, Fish was particularly impressed with the pairing of Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Ime Okon.

Fish, the winner of South Africa’s only Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, was particularly impressed with how the two centre-backs quickly gelled together despite not having had the opportunity to play alongside one another during the World Cup Qualifiers.

Fish told SportsBoom that the two young defenders were outstanding and that he won’t be shocked to see them playing in Europe in the near future.

Fish reckons that Mbokazi and Okon, together with the majority of the Bafana World Cup squad, will be a serious threat during next year’s AFCON as they have now received invaluable experience in the FIFA World Cup.

“From a centre-back point of view, I thought they were outstanding. Understanding that it's a new partnership, unfortunately, Ime didn't get a chance to play in the qualifiers with Mbokazi. So that was a very fresh partnership, and I can only see that growing,” Fish said.

“Mbokazi is not tall for a centre-back, but he’s just a phenomenal player. I do see him going to one of the big clubs in Europe because he has everything. He’s physically strong, quick, very good on the ball, and he has an unbelievable left foot." 

“The two of them, the longer we can keep them together, I just think that we are destined for bigger and better things. Once we go to the next AFCON and World Cup, this partnership will have grown, and we will see even more expertise from the two of them." 

“From a central defensive point of view, I think that's exciting, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow as individuals and where they go and how they represent South Africa at various clubs in Europe.”

Fish says he sees himself in Mbokazi in that the 20-year-old dares to go forward with the ball when an opportunity arises, a quality that is rare to spot in centre-backs.

“I mean, I like Mbokazi because he likes going forward when he gets the chance, and it reminds me of how I used to enjoy doing things. I think he's just got a better bit on the ball and it's more exciting to watch,” Fish added. 

“And then with Ronwen, he can still be around for a long time. Then in front of them, you've got the holding midfielders who still can be around for a long time. The best thing is that the players got to understand what it is to play in a World Cup, and now we can build on it." 

“That's the whole thing of missing the last three World Cups, or we can say five because we don't count 2010 because we didn't qualify for it." 

“These players earned the right to be at the World Cup because they qualified, they worked hard, and they know what they needed to do. And as we clearly remember, they got points deducted, and we still top the group above Nigeria." 

“It’s now about how we build on that. I think that for me it's the story to tell because at the end of the day, they've given us hope, they've given us something to hold on to. Now, how do we develop and make it a point to qualify for the World Cup consistently?"