Bafana Bafana should be qualifying for next year’s AFCON co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in East Africa.
The 1996 African champions have made a flying start in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. They beat Guinea 2-1 in the opening match before hammering Eritrea 5-0 in the second match to top Group D.
Pitso Mosimane’s return to Bafana Bafana was successful as his charges rounded off the September international break with an impressive 1-0 win over Egypt in a friendly match. Pushing South Africa to 48th place in the latest FIFA rankings.
Bafana Bafana will square off with Kenya in back-to-back qualifying matches in the upcoming international break, with the first match set to take place at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday, 13 November, kick-off scheduled for 18:00.
The upcoming double-header will carry much significance for Coach Pitso Mosimane’s charges as they’ll be eyeing two wins to remain in charge of Group D
Meanwhile, the Harambee Stars of Kenya have nothing to lose as they are already qualified for next year’s AFCON tournament by virtue of being co-hosts. Leaving South Africa and Guinea to battle it out for only one spot in Group D.
Banyana Cruise past Madagascar in Free State
Banyana Banyana cruised past Madagascar in the second round of the 2028 LA Olympic Games qualifiers after registering a comfortable 4-0 victory in the first leg, before securing another dominant 3-0 win in the second leg.
The two-legged fixture took place at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, with Madagascar having no suitable venue to host their official matches.
Banyana Banyana will face Angola in the third round of LA Olympic Games qualifiers.
At the end of November, Banyana Banyana will head to Morocco for the penultimate round of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Preliminary Phase Play-offs, where they will face Chinese Taipei, Ecuador and Uzbekistan.
Banyana Banyana failed to secure an automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after failing to reach the semi-finals of WAFCON.
The South African women’s national team was eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals of the recently concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Morocco.
Mdaka oversees Mzansi next generation in U20 & U23
The South African U23 Men’s National Team gathered after a long absence and met Algeria in two international friendly fixtures.
In preparation for the 2028 LA Olympic Games qualifiers, where they will meet Madagascar next month in a two-legged fixture.
South Africa came from behind to win the first match 3-1 and drew the second 1-1 at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Meanwhile, the South African U20 Men’s National Team, under the stewardship of Coach Raymond Mdaka, defended their COSAFA Youth Championship title in Mozambique.
Amajita successful mission saw them defeat Lesotho 3-0, Angola 2-0, Eswatini 2-0, Zambia 4-2, and hosts Mozambique 2-1 in the final, with players such as Steven Mendes, Emile Witbooi, and goalkeeper Takalani Mazhamba shining the brightest.
Both South African U20 and U23 men’s national teams are under the tutelage of Raymond Mdaka who led Amajita to back-to-back Cosafa U20 Championship title and U20 Africa cup of nations title.
The Future of South African football
The South African U16 Men’s National Team returns home on Tuesday, 20 October, from Germany where they were part of the SAFA Bundesliga Dream 2026 as part of preparations for the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup scheduled to be played in Azerbaijan from 24-30 October.
During their time in Germany the squad played and won two matches, defeating FC Augsburg U16 and Arminia Bielefeld U16 2-0 and 5-0 respectively.
Meanwhile, SAFA Girls Academy were also out in Portugal to get a feel of the world out there.
The tour provided the SAFA Girls Academy squad an opportunity to test themselves amongst the best in their age group, preparing them for future national team level.
SAFA Girls Academy were held to a 0-0 draw by FC Porto U17, before defeating SC Braga 3-0 and securing another impressive 3-1 win over Famalicão U18.
They ended their stay in Portugal after playing out to a 1-1 draw against SC Rio Tinto Senior team, proving their resilience and ability to hold their own against the world’s best.