South Africa's Bafana Bafana kicks off its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with high expectations against Angola on 22 December. Coach Hugo Broos's team aims to build on its third-place finish from the previous tournament amid widespread belief in a deeper run. The match in Marrakesh sets the tone for a tough Group B featuring Egypt and Zimbabwe.
Bafana Bafana faces Angola in Marrakesh on Monday, 22 December, at 7pm South African time, marking the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. The South Africans sit in Group B alongside Angola, record seven-time champions Egypt—led by Mohamed Salah—and Zimbabwe. This opening fixture is crucial, as Bafana follows it with a clash against Egypt on 26 December, making results against Angola and Zimbabwe key to advancing to the round of 16.
The team enters with momentum from its bronze medal at the 2023 Afcon, delayed to 2024, its first podium finish in over two decades. Coach Hugo Broos, who guided Cameroon to the 2017 title, views his nearly five-year stint with South Africa as more rewarding. "I am happier with the work I have done here [South Africa] than with the work I did with Cameroon," Broos said. He noted that reaching the semifinals two years ago exceeded expectations and expressed optimism for the ongoing campaign.
Support from the 1996 Afcon-winning generation adds to the buzz. Former goalkeeper Andre Arendse praised the current squad's style, saying, "The brand of football that these guys are playing, it is reminiscent of what we did in 1996." He dreamed of marking the 30th anniversary of that triumph with another victory: "How wonderful would it be if, between now and January 2026, we celebrate the 30 years of our last achievement as the class of 1996 with another winner’s cup and gold medal?"
Historically, Bafana holds an edge over Angola, with two wins and two draws in four prior Afcon group-stage meetings. The team channels heightened expectations as motivation rather than pressure.
