South Africa: Bafana Bafana AFCON 2027 qualifiers schedule

Pitso Mosimane is back on the Bafana Bafana bench, and his first mission is anything but easy. South Africa begin their road to AFCON 2027 in a group where only one ticket is up for grabs, starting with a heavyweight clash against Guinea in Soweto. Group, fixtures, squad, key players and qualification chances: here is everything you need to know.

South Africa's AFCON 2027 qualifying group

South Africa have been drawn in a group with:

• Guinea
• Kenya (hosts)
• Eritrea

As co-hosts of AFCON 2027, Kenya have already qualified. That means only one more team will qualify from this group, and South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea are competing for that single place. In practice, Bafana Bafana will almost certainly need to finish ahead of Guinea.

The finals will be played from 19 June to 17 July 2027 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Bafana Bafana fixtures

• Matchday 1: South Africa vs Guinea, Saturday 26 September 2026, Orlando Stadium, Soweto (15:00 SA time, 1pm GMT)
• Matchday 2: Eritrea vs South Africa, Wednesday 30 September 2026, Al-Salam Stadium, Cairo
• Matchdays 3 and 4: double-header against Kenya, November 2026
• Matchdays 5 and 6: South Africa vs Eritrea and Guinea vs South Africa, March 2027

Eritrea play their home qualifiers outside the country, as they do not have a stadium that meets CAF and FIFA requirements. Exact dates, venues and kick-off times for the November and March matches are still to be confirmed. The September window ends with a friendly against Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on 4 October.

Pitso Mosimane's second spell

One of the most successful coaches in South African football history, Pitso Mosimane returns to the national team more than fourteen years after his first spell in charge, between 2010 and 2012.

For his first squad, he named a preliminary group of 35 players before trimming it to 30. He kept the core of the team that played at the 2026 World Cup, while handing opportunities to fresh talent. The squad also features a strong Mamelodi Sundowns presence, with 13 players from the club.

Squad news

Among the notable names in Mosimane's squad:

• Yanela Mbuthuma, the Orlando Pirates striker, given a national team opportunity
• Cassius Mailula, back in the Bafana Bafana set-up
• Ronwen Williams, Sipho Chaine and Themba Zwane, named in the leadership group

Key players to watch

• Ronwen Williams, the experienced goalkeeper and leader
• Teboho Mokoena, the engine of the midfield
• Themba Zwane, the creative veteran
• Aubrey Modiba, dangerous going forward from left-back
• Yanela Mbuthuma, looking to make his mark up front

South Africa's opponents

Guinea: the main rival for the only ticket. The Syli National, coached by Paulo Duarte, have a talented attack led by Serhou Guirassy and are desperate to return to the AFCON after missing the last edition. Both meetings between the sides could decide the group, starting with Saturday's opener in Soweto.

Kenya: already qualified as hosts, the Harambee Stars are not competing for the ticket, but their results against South Africa and Guinea will shape the race. The November double-header should be taken seriously.

Eritrea: on paper the weakest side in the group. South Africa must collect maximum points in both meetings.

Can South Africa qualify?

Third at AFCON 2023 and fresh from the 2026 World Cup, South Africa have the experience and the squad to win the race for the only ticket. But with no margin for error, the opening game against Guinea already feels like a final. A home win in Soweto would give Mosimane's side a huge advantage.

South Africa results

This section is updated after every match.

• Matchday 1: South Africa 2-1 Guinea
• Matchday 2: Eritrea 0-5 South Africa

Read more

• AFCON 2027 qualifiers: schedule, groups and favourites
• Nigeria: Super Eagles AFCON 2027 qualifiers schedule
• Ghana: Black Stars AFCON 2027 qualifiers schedule

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