Former Bafana Bafana striker Shaun Bartlett has backed the current team to win the AFCON. | BackpagePix Bafana Bafana have found it difficult to clear the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) barrier since their 1996 success, but former striker Shaun Bartlett believes the upcoming tournament may offer South Africa an ideal chance to claim a second continental title. Under Hugo Broos, the team has grown into one of the more promising national sides in recent memory.
The upcoming tournament not only offers them a chance to build on that progress but also to lay a strong foundation for their upcoming World Cup campaign. Since their 1996 victory, South Africa have struggled to meet expectations. Their best subsequent result was a runners-up finish in 1998, while their third-place finish in the 2000 and 2023 edition was their most notable performance since that 1998 loss to Egypt (2-0) in the final.
Bartlett, who scored 28 goals in 74 appearances for Bafana, sees the upcoming tournament as an opportunity for Broos and his squad to make history, particularly after their semi-final exit in the last edition—a 4-2 penalty shootout loss to Nigeria following a 1-1 draw in normal time. “We have a perfect opportunity to rewrite history with the current squad because next year it will be 30 years since we last won it,” Bartlett said, looking ahead to the tournament. “So imagine if our team can go all the way and win it 30 years later, and that is ideally what we are hoping for.
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