Pitso Mosimane has returned to the Bafana Bafana hotseat after being appointed as the new head coach of the South African national team by the South African Football Association (SAFA).
Mosimane returns to the national team following the departure of Belgian coach Hugo Broos, who stepped down on 31 July 2026 after five years in charge. Broos guided Bafana Bafana to the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The appointment marks a return to the national team for Mosimane, who previously served as Bafana Bafana head coach between 2010 and 2012.
The highly decorated coach brings significant domestic and continental experience to the role. He has won the CAF Champions League three times, lifting the trophy once with Mamelodi Sundowns and twice with Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan welcomed Mosimane back to SAFA House and outlined the association’s key priorities for Bafana Bafana.
For South African football and for our national team, Bafana Bafana, there are three major competitions that we will face,” Jordaan said.
“The first is the Africa Cup of Nations. The second, CAF will introduce a new competition called the African Nations League.”
Jordaan confirmed that the African Nations League will replace the traditional African Nations Championship (CHAN), with the new competition set to be played over a two-year cycle.
We hope that we make a bid to host the final of the Nations League,” he added.
Looking further ahead, SAFA has identified the 2030 FIFA World Cup as a major long-term objective for South African football. The tournament will be hosted jointly by Portugal, Spain and Morocco.
That is the major objective for SAFA and that is the 2030 World Cup,” Jordaan said.
“It will be the second time that there will be a World Cup competition on the African continent. The first was in 2010 in South Africa and it will, of course, be a huge honour for us as previous hosts to participate in Africa’s second World Cup.”
The COSAFA Cup will also remain an important part of the national-team pathway, providing an opportunity for emerging players to gain international experience and work their way into the senior setup.
These are the main areas of focus and where we want Bafana Bafana to go,” Jordaan said.
“Then you of course have the COSAFA Cup, which is, in our view, an opportunity for the next level of players to graduate into international competitions.”
With Mosimane back at the helm, Bafana Bafana enter a new era with SAFA setting its sights on continental success, developing the next generation of players and building towards the 2030 FIFA World Cup.