AFCON Countdown – Are South Africa Genuine Contenders for the Title?

by Staff Reporter

Thursday Dec 11, 2025. 09:00

South Africa head into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a level of momentum, stability and belief they have not experienced in years. For the first time in recent memory, the idea of Bafana Bafana as true title contenders feels credible rather than hopeful.

Their qualification campaign reflected a team on the rise: unbeaten from September to November 2024, they topped a competitive group featuring Uganda, Congo and South Sudan, displaying both resilience and composure across varying environments. Equally significant was their successful qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they finished above Nigeria, Benin, Lesotho, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Taken together, these achievements signal the emergence of a side increasingly confident in its structure and strengthened by high-pressure encounters.

South Africa’s third-place finish at the 2023 AFCON remains a crucial benchmark. That run showcased defensive organisation, mental fortitude and tactical clarity that had long been absent. It set the platform for the strides that followed and proved that Bafana Bafana could compete with—and defeat—Africa’s elite in decisive moments. With much of that core intact and further reinforced, the team’s outlook has shifted from cautious optimism to justified ambition.

At the centre of this resurgence is head coach Hugo Broos, whose experience lifting the AFCON with Cameroon in 2017 continues to serve as a guiding influence. His emphasis on discipline, teamwork and structural balance has reshaped Bafana Bafana into a more reliable and cohesive unit.

Supporting that blueprint is a group of key players, including Ronwen Williams, Khuliso Mudau, Teboho Mokoena and Lyle Foster—figures who provide leadership, consistency and match-winning talent across the pitch. The team’s spine is now stronger and more settled than it has been in a decade, with a blend of local and international experience enhancing their tactical flexibility.

As Morocco 2025 approaches, South Africa’s ambitions will rest on maintaining the defensive organisation and collective identity that have defined their resurgence, while drawing on the confidence earned through two major qualification campaigns. The tournament field will be stacked with heavyweights, all motivated by the same goal, but Bafana Bafana enter with continuity, momentum and a renewed sense of purpose.

The stakes are high, anticipation is growing, and for South Africa, the opportunity to challenge for continental glory feels more tangible than it has in years.