Bafana Bafana will play three international friendly matches at home and one away in the coming weeks as coach Hugo Broos prepares for the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire in January next year, and for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao confirmed that the South African senior men’s national team will host Namibia on 9 September 2023 (kick off is at 15h00), DR Congo on 12 September (18h00) and Eswatini on 13 October. Coach Broos’ charges will then travel to the west of the continent to face Africa Cup of Nations hosts Côte d’Ivoire on 17 October, five...

31 October 2023 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named an enlarged 44-member preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda next month. Broos’ charges host Benin at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on the weekend of 17 to 19 November 2023 and then travel to Huye to face Rwanda on Tuesday 21 November 2023. The team will go into camp at the University of Pretoria on Monday 13 November 2023 and travel to Durban on 16 November 2023. After playing Benin in the coastal city, they will travel to Rwanda on 19 November 2023 and return to South Africa on 22...

Image: X @BafanaBafana 10 November 2023 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named his final 23-member squad for this month’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda.   Broos’ charges host Benin at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday 18 November 2023 and then travel to East-Central Africa to face Rwanda on Tuesday 21 November 2023. The Bafana Bafana coach said he has confidence in the players he has selected to get the World Cup qualifying campaign off to a good start.  Striker Lyle Foster was not part of the team that was named on Friday afternoon and...

Bafana Bafana beat Benin 2-1 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon to get their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on a winning note. Coach Hugo Broos and his players had wanted a victory in their opening match of Group C and Percy Tau got the ball rolling when he scored the opening goal of the match in the third minute. The South African senior men’s national team was in control in the first half and increased the lead shortly before the halftime break through Khuliso Mudau. But the visitors fought their way back in the second half when Benin’s Steve Mounie pulled a...

14 December 2023 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos showed his hand when he announced his preliminary squad for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire 2024. The Belgian mentor announced a 50-man preliminary squad that will be trimmed to 23 players at the beginning of the new year shortly before departure to the West African country. The 34th edition of the biennial continental tournament will be held in Côte d’Ivoire from 13 January to Sunday 11 Feb 2024. Broos’ charges will assemble for camp on 4 January 2024 and then travel to Stellenbosch for a training camp that will be...

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has announced his final squad for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire. Broos selected 23 players and put another three on standby, saying this is the personnel that will do battle in the West African country against the continent’s best national teams. “If we do not go past the group stages, we will not be happy, and that is for sure,” the Bafana Bafana coach said after announcing the team for the tournament on Thursday afternoon (28 December 2023). “I think that has to be the first goal. You know, going past the group stages is one of the most...

The Bafana Bafana players and the South African Football Association (SAFA) management met on Sunday, 7th January 2024 to outline the payment structures for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament to be held in Côte d’Ivoire this month. The players were represented by captain Ronwen Williams, Percy Tau, Siyanda Xulu, Veli Mothwa and Themba Zwane and they signed the memorandum on behalf of the Bafana Bafana team participating at this year’s edition of the continental tournament. The  SAFA management included the President Dr Danny Jordaan, Vice President Bennett Bailey, CEO...

17 January 2024 – Bafana Bafana were beaten 0-2 by Mali in their opening match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations at the Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo, Cote d’Ivoire, on Tuesday night. It was a highly anticipated Group E game that coach Hugo Broos will look back and wonder what might have been after several missed opportunities in both halves. Bafana Bafana had a brilliant first half and could have gone into the lead in the 19th minute after they were awarded a penalty following an elbow on Evidence Makgopa inside the area that was picked up by VAR. But Percy Tau’s shot sailed...

Hugo Broos Hugo Broos has attributed South Africa’s TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 opening loss to Mali to the missed penalty in the first half as well as the physicality of the Eagles. South Africa were humbled to a 2-0 defeat after a positive start in the first half that lacked the all-important finishing touch. Speaking after a disappointing result, the 2017 tournament winner with Cameroon said the missed penalty by Percy Tau and the physicality that the Malians came within the second half contributed to the loss. “The performance of South Africa was good,...

24 January 2024 – Bafana Bafana are through to the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations after a 0-0 draw with Tunisia ensured passage out of the group stages of the Côte d’Ivoire-held tournament on Wednesday night. Coach Hugo Broos’ charges put up a masterful defensive display to keep the North Africans at bay and in the process finished second, and a point behind Group E winners Mali. The South African senior men’s team will know the identity of their Round of 16 opponents later on Wednesday when Group F is decided. The group consists of leaders Morocco, the Democratic Republic of...

Brave Bafana go down to Nigeria in dramatic AFCON semi-final 7 February 2024 – A 10-man Bafana Bafana bravely gave their all during a dramatic Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against Nigeria before eventually losing 2-4 on penalties in Côte d’Ivoire. Coach Hugo Broos’ valiant charges had fought very hard to force the match into extra time, and eventually the tense penalty shootout, after the two teams ended the 90 minutes deadlocked at 1-1. They did it while a man down after Grant Kekana was sent off in the final minutes of extra time. William Troost-Ekong opened the scoring for the...

South Africa secure TotalEnergies CAF AFCON bronze after shootout South Africa claimed the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations third place play-off on Saturday, beating DR Congo 6-5 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. It hands Bafana Bafana only their second ever AFCON bronze medal and first since 2000. South Africa triumphed after a dramatic shootout in Abidjan. Both sides rang the changes following exhausting semi-final defeats. The first half proved cagey with clear chances lacking for either team. DR Congo looked livelier after the break as Simon Banza and Grady Diangana...

Coach Hugo Broos was full of praise for his players after their hard-fought 3rd place finish in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 courtesy of a 6-5 penalty shoot-out win that came after a 0-0 draw. With very little chances given to his squad, Broos’ charges were impressive during their stay in Cote d’Ivoire where they dismantled African football heavyweights enroute to a third-place finish. Speaking after clinching the third-place finish in Abidjan, Broos showered his squad with praises, making a special mention of the players that were on the bench who...

16 February 2023 – The South African Football Association (SAFA) has noted with concern reports claiming that Bafana Bafana may not be paid their bonuses after finishing third at the recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire. We wish to confirm that a contract was signed between the Association and the senior players representing the team where the payments and bonuses were agreed upon, depending on the team’s performance in the tournament, details of which remain confidential. This agreement was confirmed before the team departed for AFCON and all the parties were happy. We...

Broos announces preliminary Bafana squad Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named a 32-member preliminary squad for the FIFA Series international friendlies pilot project in Algeria later this month. The FIFA event will run from 18 to 26 March 2024 and it will be the first time that Broos reunites with his team since beating DR Congo 6-5 on penalties in the Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off to win bronze at the continental tournament in Côte d’Ivoire last month. Coach Broos’ charges play the first match against Andorra at the 19 May 1956 Stadium in Annaba, Algeria, on...

Broos names final squad for FIFA Series in Algeria Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named his final 23-member squad for the FIFA Series international friendlies pilot project in Algeria later this month. The FIFA event will run from 18 to 26 March 2024 and Broos said it is a great opportunity to call some new players to the South African senior men’s team. “Certainly, I am also looking to the future. I said it already, there are a few players in our group who will be 35, 34, 36 when the FIFA World Cup is jointly hosted in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America in 2026,” he...

What a game – Broos pleased with Bafana’s performance 27 March 2024 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was a happy man after his players delivered an impressive display during a six-goal thriller against hosts Algeria at a packed Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on Tuesday night. The South African senior men’s team drew 3-3 with Algeria in an action-packed FIFA Series match that had the fans on the edge of their seats for the majority of the 90 minutes. The Algerians were the first to get their name up on the stadium scoreboard when Yassine Benzia opened the scoring in the 22nd minute....

Broos announces preliminary Bafana squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers 15 May 2024 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named a 36-member preliminary squad for next month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The South African senior men’s national team face Nigeria’s Super Eagles away from home in Uyo on Friday, 7 June 2024 and then return to host Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, 11 June 2024. The final 23-member squad will be announced in the next few days. Bafana Bafana will return to Bloemfontein for the first time since...

30 May 2024 – Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named the final 23-member squad to face Nigeria and Zimbabwe in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month.

  11 June 2024 – Bafana Bafana rewarded the thousands of fans who descended on Free State Stadium with a top-class performance as they beat Zimbabwe 3-1 in a pulsating 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night. Coach Hugo Broos’ charges signaled their intentions very early in the game when Iqraam Rayners scored the opening goal of the match inside the first minute. Free State Stadium erupted into pandemonium as the fans celebrated the home team’s dream start to the game. But Zimbabwe responded a minute later when Tawanda Chirewa scored the equaliser to momentarily put a damper...