South Africa's national football team, Bafana Bafana, has left their Pretoria training base to travel to Morocco for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The bronze medalists from last year's tournament aim to surpass their previous achievement. Players and officials express confidence in reaching the final.
Bafana Bafana, fresh from securing bronze at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, departed from their training camp at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on December 17, 2025. The team proceeded to OR Tambo International Airport for their flight to Morocco, where the tournament begins this Sunday.
Chief Medical Officer of the South African Football Association, Thulani Ngwenya, highlighted the team's readiness. "We have seen that the coach has done exceptionally well since he took over," Ngwenya said. "You can’t talk about the final without looking at Angola, our first opponent is Angola, so we are ready and everyone is ready. We believe that we are actually going to go all the way, that is what we want to do."
Winger Mohau Nkota echoed the optimism, stating that the squad is excited and eager for the competition. This journey marks their bid to improve on last year's third-place finish, facing Angola in their opening match.
The departure was covered live by SABC Sports anchor Xoli Zondo at the airport, capturing the team's high spirits as they embark on the continental showdown.