Broos ‘satisfied’ with Bafana AFCON group
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he is satisfied with the outcome of the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations draw after the groups were unveiled in Morocco on Monday night.
The South Africans were drawn in Group B, with Broos’ charges facing Egypt, Angola and Zimbabwe.
“So, in general, I think we can be satisfied. It is not a very easy group. On the other hand, I think we have a great opportunity to qualify for the next round of the AFCON. And then, as you know, in the AFCON, after the group stages, anything is possible. So, we will do everything to do better than the last AFCON (Bafana Bafana finished the tournament held in Côte d’Ivoire with a bronze medal),” he said.
The Bafana Bafana coach said that Egypt could be the biggest threat in Group B, at least on paper.
“When I look at our opponents for AFCON, I think that Egypt is the favourite to win the group. They didn’t do very well at the last AFCON, they didn’t perform like everybody expected and they were very soon out of the tournament. But I think in the last year and a half, they have built a very good team. They did very well in the qualifiers, so they will be the team to beat for first place,” the Bafana Bafana coach continued.
“Then we have Zimbabwe again. This is the fourth time that we have played against Zimbabwe. We played against Zimbabwe in the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. We played against Zimbabwe for the qualification of the last AFCON, but they were suspended, so there was no game between them and us.
“We are playing against Zimbabwe in the qualifiers for the next World Cup. We have them again now in the next AFCON. Zimbabwe is a neighbour of South Africa, and it’s always a very difficult game for us. On the other hand, in all the games we played already against Zimbabwe, we played one draw, and we won three times.
“So, winning against Zimbabwe is very possible in the AFCON. And then we have Angola. Angola is, for me, a team I don’t know really very well. So, it will be very important to do a good analysis of our opponent Angola and to be well prepared to play that game.”
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Speaking at the draw in Rabat, CAF president Patrick Motsepe told reporters he believes the first AFCON to span two years will also be the most successful.
"I am extremely excited about the AFCON in Morocco -- it is going to be the most successful yet. Ivory Coast raised the bar last year and now we must reach even greater heights.
Originally slated for mid-2025, the tournament had to be delayed to avoid clashing with the maiden edition of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
"The new dates will not affect the tournament. Africa boasts many exceptionally talented footballers, and all of them will be in Morocco," added Motsepe.
