South Africa secured qualification to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations without even kicking a ball last Friday after Congo Brazzaville’s hopes were dashed by their 3-2 defeat to South Sudan. Bafana Bafana, buoyed by that result, went on to beat Uganda 2-0 away from home which put them in a firm position to top Group K of the qualifiers.
Bafana head into their final qualifier against South Sudan at DHL Stadium on Tuesday November 20 knowing that a win ensures they’ll finish at the summit with an unbeaten record.
Despite already clinching qualification, Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, isn’t underestimating South Sudan.
We take this game very seriously. Don’t underestimate a team and it should be a lack of respect for an opponent. When you have no respect for an opponent, you can be sure that things go wrong
Bafana Bafana teams in the past have been guilty of fluffing their lines in fixtures they should have won but this group of players under this coach possess a different mentality.
Hugo Broos’ team are riding wave of momentum off the back of the third place finish at this year’s AFCON which saw them going on an 18-match unbeaten run – their semi-final defeat to Nigeria at AFCON in February coming from a penalty shootout. To add to that momentum, there’s a collective sense of belief within the Bafana camp.
Bafana Bafana captain, Ronwen Williams, admitted that there’s been a change in mindset within the squad, “when we go into a game, there’s no fear anymore” said the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper. The South African shot-stopper believes the team are on the right trajectory and is relishing the challenge of trying to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Despite Bafana Bafana resuming their World Cup qualifying campaign in March 2025, their Belgian tactician openly admitted that he’s already got an eye on those fixtures, “after tomorrow’s game (against South Sudan) the focus will be on qualifying for the World Cup” Broos said.
South Africa sit in second place in Group C of their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, on the same amount of points as Rwanda in first place and Benin in third. Only goal difference separates the sides and any push for qualification hinges on the team’s consistency with a threat like Nigeria also languishing in fifth place in the group. The Super Eagles are just four points off the top three teams and are by no means out of the running.
The Bafana skipper touched on his team’s demand for consistency in the lead up to their clash against South Sudan and with the confidence and momentum they’ve built up in recent months, they have the perfect base to become one of the continent’s most consistent teams.
Williams reflected on the team’s mentality, “we walk around now with that confidence and that belief and obviously we get that from the head coach”. That mindset will be key to any future success they may have with a promising World Cup qualifying campaign set to kick back into action in March.
Meanwhile next year’s AFCON in Morocco will serve as another opportunity for Broos’ Bafana to take themselves to the next level but their Belgian tactician will want to see off any potential banana skin in the form of South Sudan at DHL Stadium before turning his attentions.
