Bafana Bafana set sites on improving past AFCON performance

Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele says that their main focus at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco, later this year, is to improve on their previous results and to continue to inspire the next generation of players.

South Africa were drawn in Group B in Rabat last night, alongside seven-time champions Egypt, as well as neighbours Zimbabwe and Angola.

Bafana Bafana will get their 2025 AFCON Campaign underway against Angola at the Marrakesh Stadium on the 22nd of December.

Followed by group matches against Egypt and then northern neighbours Zimbabwe. The Egyptians, the most successful team to compete in the tournament, with seven titles, will likely be Bafana’s most difficult opponents.

These two teams last met in the 2019 edition of the tournament in Egypt where South Africa won their Round of 16 encounter 1-nil. Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele says that despite it being a relatively tough group — they will be looking to improve on their third-place finish in 2023.

Bafana Bafana Assistant Coach, Helman Mkhalele says, “It’s a difficult group even though when you look at the names because of the history or the past history most of the teams in our group are not like that lucrative but when you look at their performances right now it tells you that it’s not an easy group. Yes, of course, we know that since we are drawn with Egypt, Egypt will try and make sure that they settle the scores of 2019. But what happened in 2019, I think, it’s history, as I alluded to earlier it is important for us to make sure that the team improves. It’s for us to get into the knockout stages and eventually winning the trophy.”

Bafana Bafana will fancy their chances against the two Southern African teams in Group B – Zimbabwe and Angola.

Bafana and Zimbabwe are also in the same group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and The South Africans have already notched up a win — defeating the Zimbabweans 3-1 in June last year. South Africa also dominate in their head-to-head record against Angola.

They’ve played each other three times in an AFCON tournament before, with Bafana recording two wins and a draw.

Mkhalele says “I knew that with a huge number of SADEC teams that have qualified for the competition, I knew that two of them would be drawn in our group and I am not surprised that we are drawn with Zimbabwe. But our reaction is that you know it’s a tough group for the fact that we know each other and also all teams have improved so for us we try will make sure that we continue where we left off in terms of the Africa Cup of Nations. We will continue to make sure that our team moves a step higher because we want to make sure again that we continue to be an inspiration to the young and upcoming, aspiring kids you know to play football.”

The tournament will be hosted in Morocco for a second time. It will run from December the 21st to January the 18th 2026.