The Chan (African Nations Championship) qualifiers and competition, if Bafana Bafana proceed to the tournament, is intended to broaden the pool of players ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers and also for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). SA is in the midst of two-leg qualifier against Egypt.
The main tournament, the Afcon will take place in Morocco in December. Bafana have qualified and will begin their quest to book their ticket for the World Cup that will be jointly held in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Bafana have not qualified for a Fifa world cup since 2002 and last played at that level when SA hosted the tournament in 2010. The team should then be
determined to book a spot at the next tournament.
The Chan team is coached by former Kaizer Chiefs trainer Molefi Ntseki and it features only players who ply their trade in their local leagues. Coach Hugo Broos is still in charge of the main Bafana team.
In their first leg match against Egypt last Sunday, Ntseki selected an impressive band of fringe PSL players and they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Free State Stadium by The Pharaohs.
Mamelodi Sundowns star Neo Maema was the skipper, and he teamed up with the likes of Monnapule Saleng (Orlando Pirates), Aden McCarthy and Bongani Sam (both Chiefs). The team had his clubmates Terrence Mashego, Jody February and Kutlwa-no Letlhaku, as well as Keletso Sifama and Jamie Webber (both Sekhukhune United) and the unattached Sammy Seabi.
However, the likes of Saleng, Nduduzo Mhlongo, Naledi Hlongwane, Azola Tshobeni (Pirates) will not be available for the return match after they were released from the camp and sent back to their clubs. Ntseki roped in former Bafana striker Victor Letsoalo (TS Galaxy), Mondli Mpoto and Levy Mashiane, both from Royal AM.
The winner of the two-legged contest will proceed to the second round of the Chan qualifiers to be played in May.
Said Ntseki ahead of the second leg in Cairo tonight: “The boys did very well in terms of performance, but the final result (in Bloemfontein) was not that pleasing knowing very well that we still have to go to Egypt in the second leg.
“We saw how they conducted themselves, especially after scoring, when they were playing for time.”
Ntseki’s Egyptian counterpart coach Wael Reyad said: “But we have many, many players who did not come with us because they had problems with their passports and papers, something like that. But we played with 15 or 16 players only. I told my players after the match, it was a very tough game because it was the first time for them to play for the national team.”
