The South African football men’s senior team, Bafana Bafana’s recent two matches have sharpened the team ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament scheduled for Morocco in six months’ time.
Bafana kick-start their campaign against Angola on 22 December.
South Africa is pitted against Angola, Egypt and Zimbabwe in Group B of this continental showpiece.
The 35th AFCON is scheduled from 21 December to 18 January 2026.
The host nation opens the tournament by taking on the Comoros in the Group A fixtures at the Prince Moulay Abdella Sports Complex in Rabat.
Morocco are in Group A with Comoros, Mali and Zambia.
Litmust test for Broos
As for Bafana, who will play Angola at the 40 000 capacity Grand Stade de Marrakech, this latest AFCON in the Arab country will provide a platform for coach Hugo Broos to win something for the country.
This will come as a reward for the country entrusting him with the responsibility to take care of Bafana’s fortunes.
Initially, Broos’s three-year contract with the South African Football Association (SAFA) expired on June 30 last year. It was however extended.
This proved a wise decision as the 73-year Belgian coach went on to transform the team’s fortunes, top of which was to qualify for Morocco.
They are now on the verge of also qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Fans return in droves
Another positive development is that Bafana’s sterling performances have also brought back fans, who have instilled confidence in the players. There have been a lot of bums on seats lately.
The tournament in Morocco will provide Broos and his troops with the much-needed platform to prepare themselves for their ambitious next task – the World Cup.
Bafana recently played two international friendly matches at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, Limpopo. The one against Tanzania ended goalless before a resounding 2-0 victory over Mozambique.
Post-match analysis
Said Broos: “These two matches are going to make my duty very difficult in selecting players because everyone has shown much-needed commitment. It’s really going to be difficult to select players for both the AFCON and World Cup from all the 40 players we have in the team now.”
Before their AFCON participation, Bafana are still to wrap up their last two FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho away and Nigeria at home, both due in September.
