By Dylan Bettencourt
- Bafana head to Morocco for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after easy qualification and World Cup success raised expectations across Africa.
- Coach Hugo Broos says players proved they handle pressure in key World Cup qualifiers and are ready for tougher opponents now.
Bafana Bafana players leave South Africa knowing this Africa Cup of Nations will not be quiet or comfortable.
Two years ago, they arrived with little talk around them. They shocked many people by finishing third in Ivory Coast.
This time, things are different. Other teams are watching closely. Expectations are higher. Pressure is heavier.
Coach Hugo Broos says the players understand this and are ready.
South Africa left for Morocco on Wednesday. Their first Group B match is against Angola in Marrakech on Monday.
Broos says the pressure will be higher than before, but he trusts his squad.
He points to recent World Cup qualifiers as proof. Bafana qualified for the 2026 Fifa World Cup finals and handled big moments at home.
He mentions the home match against Nigeria and the final game against Rwanda as examples where the team stayed calm under pressure.
Broos says this experience matters now.
Bafana got into the tournament after beating Ghana 1-0 in a training match at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday.
The match was not an official Fifa fixture. Ghana fielded a second string side made up mainly of African Nations Championship players and did not qualify for the 2025 tournament.
Broos admits his team did not play their best football.
Sipho Mbule scored the only goal in the 58th minute with a long range strike. Ghana nearly equalised late on when Rudolf Mensah hit the post.
Broos says these performances often happen before big tournaments.
He says the win still helps, as it is better to travel with a victory.
He adds that Bafana can play much better and believes some players already had the tournament on their minds.
Pictured above: Bafana Bafana in training.
Image source: @BafanaBafana
