Bafana Bafana are far more experienced and better prepared to avoid stage fright or struggling to live up to their “dark horses” tag at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations 2025. The squad was set to fly out to Morocco on Wednesday night, where they will be based in Marrakech. They arrive not simply to make up the numbers, but to compete for the title and end a 30-year trophy drought.
They have been hard at work at the University of Pretoria High Performance Centre since assembling for camp following the suspension of the domestic season last week. Their preparations culminated in an international friendly in Soweto on Tuesday afternoon, where they beat Ghana 1-0. Coach Hugo Broos was pleased with the result but not entirely satisfied with the performance, having started the match with a fringe team.
Bafana have also enjoyed significant success over the past two years, including finishing third at the last AFCON, qualifying unbeaten for Morocco, and securing direct entry to the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Broos, fully aware that the tournament in Morocco will present a sterner test than two years ago in Ivory Coast, remains unfazed. “So, I am not worried about that.
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But we will feel and see that opponents will play in a totally different way than they did two years ago.” While Broos believes Bafana are in a strong position to compete for the crown, the team have had to navigate several disruptions. Broos was criticised by some members of the public and political parties over comments about Mbekezeli Mbokazi and agent Basia Michaels. He has since apologised, admitting that his choice of words was inappropriate.
In addition, Broos has not trained with his full squad in recent days, as Sphephelo Sithole, Lyle Foster, and Shandre Campbell are only expected to join the team in Morocco after being released late by their European clubs. The Belgian coach was not concerned, noting that Fifa’s amended regulations allow players to be released six days before the tournament. “We are far ahead in terms of our preparations,” Broos said.
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