AFCON exit a learning curve for Relebohile Mofokeng as Bafana Bafana regroup

Bafana Bafana midfielder Relebohile Mofokeng says South Africa’s round-of-16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations has provided him with important lessons as his international journey continues.

As the tournament enters its business end—where Africa’s top sides are battling for continental supremacy—Hugo Broos and his squad will be observing from afar, having missed out on a significant opportunity to further build on what has been a largely encouraging period for the national team.

With their next competitive assignment only coming later this year at the Fifa World Cup, set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Bafana Bafana now face a lengthy wait, relying solely on international friendlies to prepare for the global showpiece.

There is optimism that the disappointment suffered at AFCON will serve as a valuable wake-up call, sharpening their readiness far more effectively than it did heading into the continental tournament.

Mofokeng is expected to play an important role in that process. Making his first start of the competition, the 21-year-old delivered an energetic performance, helping South Africa carve out several attacking opportunities, although a lack of clinical finishing ultimately proved costly.

Looking back on the tournament, the Orlando Pirates midfielder believes the challenge of facing elite opposition has contributed significantly to his development.

“It was a difficult AFCON for me because we came up against some of the best players in the world,” Mofokeng said after his side’s elimination.

“I took some learnings and gained some experience, which will make it a bit better the next time around.”

The narrow 2–1 defeat to Cameroon — a match in which Bafana largely held the upper hand — remains a painful one, particularly given the chances created. Mofokeng highlighted key moments that could have altered the outcome.

He came close to giving Bafana an early lead but narrowly missed, a moment he later acknowledged as decisive.

“That chance was going to open the game for us,” Mofokeng reflected.

“I take full responsibility because I should have scored that chance. We managed to create a lot of chances that we should have finished on the night.”

Mofokeng added that despite going 1–0 down against the run of play, the belief within the camp never wavered.

“It wasn’t the first time we went 1–0 down, so we kept encouraging each other to keep pushing.

“We had the belief that we could score a goal and also make it to the next round. We just had to continue working hard because I do believe we had the game in our hands, but we needed to use our opportunities.

“We wanted to exploit the space behind their wing-backs, and the coach’s plan worked, but our execution didn’t.”

Regarded as one of South Africa’s brightest young prospects, Mofokeng has already attracted attention from abroad, although a move is yet to materialise. Given his quality, it appears inevitable that his future lies beyond local shores.

His AFCON performances offered glimpses of his potential, while MC Alger coach Rulani Mokwena has publicly expressed interest in bringing him to North Africa. However, Mofokeng remains focused on a move to Europe.

For now, the priority will be to put the disappointment of AFCON behind him and finish the season strongly—a crucial period as Bafana begin laying the foundations for the World Cup.