After an injury sustained on May 17, during the CAF Champions League final first leg, Aubrey Modiba is back in full South Africa training ahead of their FIFA World Cup opener against Mexico on June 11.
Head coach Hugo Broos confirmed the return of his usual first-choice left-back to SABC Sport for Monday's training session.
"I think things are going well with Aubrey and we'll give him special treatment, so I think from [Monday] he will train with the group," said Broos.
"And if nothing happens in the next days, Aubrey should be available for the game on Thursday."
Bafana Bafana will kick off their FIFA World Cup campaign against co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Modiba has had some involvement in training sessions since the hamstring injury, but his participation has been managed carefully, with Broos handing Samukele Kabini and Bradley Cross opportunities in recent friendlies to stake a claim for a starting position should Modiba be declared unfit.
Modiba's club head coach at Mamelodi Sundowns, Miguel Cardoso, had raised concerns regarding potential Bafana Bafana player burnout as a result of fixture congestion for his team in their ultimately successful Champions League campaign and their narrow miss in the South African Premiership title race against Orlando Pirates.
Ironically, Modiba told ESPN in a press conference before his injury in the 1-0 Champions League final first leg win over AS FAR - in which he scored the winner - that he was unconcerned about burn-out.
"I think for us, it's important as senior players to bring in that experience because we've been dealing with situations like this so many times where we're juggling the league, the Champions League, as well as the national team. It's nothing new to us," he said.
Another Sundowns and Bafana player, Teboho Mokoena, scored as Sundowns drew 1-1 with AS FAR in the second leg, sealing a 2-1 aggregate win.
Despite the injury trouble at left-back, Broos has lauded the impact of having Sundowns players with significant continental experience in his Bafana Bafana squad.
"It's very important to have players in the group that are used to playing on another level than PSL (South Africa's Premier Soccer League)," Broos said.
"I think with the players of Sundowns, they are already a little bit used to playing very important games where there is a lot of pressure, certainly for Sundowns, and they have, always, the ambition to win that African Champions League. It's very important to have those players.
"Also, because they are a rather big number in the selection, so they can also affect the other players in the attitude, in the way of training. This is very important."
There are eight players in the Bafana Bafana squad who were active Sundowns players as of the end of the 2025-26 season. If Thapelo Maseko (on loan at AEL Limassol) and Ricardo Goss (on loan at Siwelele) are counted, the number rises to 10.
