Bafana Bafana midfielder Sipho Mbule has his eyes set on helping South Africa secure their qualification for the FIFA World Cup.

The 27-year-old made his long-awaited return to the Bafana setup, having last received a call-up in 2021.

Mbule comes into the squad to replace teammate Patrick Masangwanyi, who suffered an injury during Orlando Pirates’ 3-0 victory over Chippa United on Sunday.

The Pirates midfielder returns to the senior squad ahead of Bafana’s crucial World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria.

“I’m happy to be back in the national team,” Mbule told his club’s official website.

“As you all know it’s been a while without wearing national team colours. I’m glad to have worked my way back to the national team now it’s for me to work again to stay here.

“We all know how important these two games are for our country. We wanna win both games and qualify for the World Cup.”