Bafana Bafana aim to keep momentum rolling ahead of AFCON and Fifa World Cup

Just like Rome, Bafana Bafana’s recent achievements weren’t built in a day. That’s why the team aims to maintain their momentum and continue growing in leaps and bounds.

Bafana are arguably the most improved team on the continent. They’ve qualified for back-to-back AFCON tournaments under the same coach, Hugo Broos, for the first time in years, and have automatically secured their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup — their first appearance since the 2002 edition.

Their participation in the AFCON finals next month in Morocco will be different — this time, they’ll be among the favourites. That status follows their impressive third-place finish in the last edition in Ivory Coast.

As such, they can’t afford to falter. They need to prepare thoroughly to ensure they surpass last year’s performance and claim the coveted African crown for the first time since 1996, when they triumphed on home soil.

Broos has pulled out all the stops to make that happen. His team will face COSAFA neighbours Zambia in a preparation match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 6pm), before the final squad — to be announced early next month — assembles for camp at the University of Pretoria High Performance Centre from 8 to 17 December.

One of the reasons Broos is intent on winning against Chipolopolo is to ensure his side remain in the top ten of the CAF rankings. That’s why defender Nkosinathi Sibisi insists this will be no ordinary friendly.

“I think we totally agree with the coach — there’s no such thing as a friendly game,” Sibisi said. “As soon as you wear that jersey and you are on the field, it’s war. But it’s a peaceful war. So, yeah, I think come Saturday, it will be guns blazing.”

Bafana will need exactly that mindset. A win would also help maintain cohesion and understanding within the group, especially since Broos has kept the core of his squad intact while only calling up two newcomers — Keletso Makgalwa and Masindi Nemtajela.

Anything but defeat would also extend Bafana’s unbeaten run to 25 matches — a record that would please both the team and the nation.

“It’s always nice playing your rivals, but for us, it’s just a matter of continuity,” Sibisi added. “Gaining momentum is always difficult, so we’re trying to keep it within the group. I think come Saturday, we’ll be ready.”

The match won’t only test the players’ readiness but Broos’s decision-making as well. The experienced Belgian still has tough choices to make before naming the final 23-man squad that will represent South Africa in North Africa.

Given that the final list is yet to be confirmed, Sibisi reiterated the importance of giving maximum effort in every training session and match.

“The motivation is always the same whenever we are in camp. Whether we are playing a friendly game or a qualifier, we always train as if it’s our last session,” he said. “We don’t take being here for granted. I think it’s a privilege to be here, so you have to earn your spot in order to play.”

Indeed, Zambia will be tough opponents, and that’s why Broos will be forced to select purely on merit. Chipolopolo have a new technical team led by Moses Sichone, with Mamelodi Sundowns’ goalkeeper coach Kennedy Mweene among the staff — someone with valuable insight into the home side.

“It’s about taking it one game at a time. We know we have a mammoth task against Zambia at home,” Sibisi said. “We’re playing at home, and we have to make it count. The performances have been showing over the last four years since we’ve been with the coach.

“It won’t be any different now. We can’t look ahead and think about AFCON — we have to focus on the game in front of us.”