Bafana Bafana are on an upward trajectory under Belgian coach Hugo Broos and will be looking to continue their impressive run in what has been a very fertile and prosperous calendar year for the team.
After an enterprising performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast, where they finished third, the South Africans have shown a tremendous amount of consistency and are proving to the world that their display at Afcon was not a fluke.
This is unlike in the past when the team even struggled to qualify for major tournaments and became a laughing stock in African football.
After charming the continent with a marvellous showing at Afcon, the team is slowly regaining its mojo and respect among its peers in Africa. It will get two more competitive matches this coming week to prove its mettle when it faces Uganda on Friday and then South Sudan next Tuesday.
The two fixtures are very key, as they are qualifiers for the 2025 Afcon tournament, which will be organised and hosted by Morocco. Bafana will host Uganda at Orlando Stadium on Friday before travelling up north for a fixture against South Sudan next Tuesday.
Besides two drawn international friendlies against Andorra and Algeria in March, Bafana Bafana did well in their two 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe in June.
They held their own in a 1-1 away draw to Nigeria at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. Themba “Mshishi” Zwane opened the scoring before Fisayo Dele-Bashiru equalised for the Super Eagles.
Bafana’s last match was the 3-1 victory over neighbours Zimbabwe at a jam-packed Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. Iqraam Rayners had opened the scoring in the first half and Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chirewa equalised a minute later. Super-sub Thapelo Morena then stole the show with a late brace in the second half.
Coach Hugo Broos has named his final squad that will be without captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who is recovering from an injury. The Belgian mentor said his absence was a huge blow.
“If you have a guy like Ronwen, who will not be with us in the two games, that is a big problem. He is not just a good goalkeeper, he is also a good captain,” Broos said.
The Bafana Bafana coach has selected goalkeepers Ricardo Goss (SuperSport United), Veli Mothwa (AmaZulu) and Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates), and these three players will fight it out for the No1 jersey. Broos said he would decide on who will start in the coming days, and on who will be captain during this camp.
Tickets to the opening qualifier against Uganda are on sale at all TicketPro outlets and Safa president Danny Jordaan and CEO Lydia Monyepao have urged fans to come out in numbers to support the team.
