TS Galaxy midfielder Ethan Brooks has been presented with a perfect opportunity to show that he is capable of commanding a place in the Bafana Bafana set-up after the team's magnificent display during the Cosafa Cup build-up to their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

Brooks’ dream of playing top-flight football came to fruition when he least expected it three years ago.

The 20-year-old former Parktown Boys' High pupil made his Bafana debut in their 3-2 international friendly success over Uganda a month ago.

“I feel really honoured to be part of the 23-man final squad for Bafana that will be competing in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,” Brooks said.

“Bafana haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 2002, and it would be really key for us to go into these two matches with a positive mindset. We should start on a good note against these two teams [Ghana and Zimbabwe].

“The players that have won the Cosafa Cup recently I feel would help us going into the qualifiers.”

New coach Hugo Broos’ squad has combined elements of the Bafana developmental combination that won the Cosafa Cup in Gqeberha, the team that beat Uganda in a friendly at FNB Stadium in May and the Under-24 side that took part in the Tokyo Olympics.

“Yes, some of us have played together; we were part of that Uganda squad. It’s not a new squad,” he said.

“It’s a team that can come together and gel.

“With the guys that have been together in the Cosafa and the guys that have been together against Uganda, it’s not an entirely new squad. It’s not a lot of new faces and it should help going into these qualifiers.”