How many more international friendly matches will Bafana Bafana play before AFCON? Hugo Broos reveals plans before Morocco tournament

Bafana Bafana beat Zambia 3-1 in an international friendly match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, claiming a crucial morale-boosting victory ahead of the AFCON finals. 

The win came at a crucial time as South Africa needed renewed confidence going into the continental showpiece, where they have Zimbabwe, Angola and Egypt in their group.

It also provided coach Hugo Broos with a valuable platform to assess his players and make informed decisions for his final AFCON squad, expected to be named in the next few weeks.

Broos appeared satisfied with their AFCION preparations so far and confirmed they will play just one more friendly before the tournament in Morocco.

He feels there is no need to face more African opposition, believing the current preparation plan is sufficient.

“No, we will play one game. I don’t like to play two or three games before we go,” Broos said as per iDiski Times.

“We played enough games against African teams so we don’t have to play against another African team, because [like]  we don’t know African football.    

“We played the last four years nearly only against African teams. So we don’t have to play another two or three games before we go to AFCON we don’t need that.   

“It will be a little bit different when we play next year World Cup. That is something else, and the preparation will be different also.    

“But now we just try to have a good preparation and that the team is really at 100% when they start, and that we don’t start like we started the last AFCON with a defeat. I want to win that first game.”

Bafana might have added a European or South American opponent for another friendly during this FIFA break as part of efforts to broaden their international exposure, especially with the 2026 FIFA World Cup being seven months away.

This comes at a time when other African teams like Angola and Senegal are engaging in high-profile friendlies against global giants Argentina and Brazil, respectively.

Such fixtures are seen as big tests for a team’s character and readiness ahead of major tournaments. 

However, after Bafana were thrashed 5-0 by France in March 2022, coach Hugo Broos has been cautious about scheduling potentially morale-sapping matches against heavily fancied opponents.

That could explain why Bafana carefully settled for Zambia to try and maintain confidence while still preparing the team adequately for AFCON.

SAFA is now working on organising a friendly game for Bafana before the AFCON finals, and fans are anxiously waiting to learn which team will be confirmed as opposition. 

With Broos insisting that the Zambia encounter was not treated like a friendly, he is expected to adopt the same competitive mindset for this next fixture. 

Avoiding defeat would be a major priority for the Belgian and his men as Bafana aim to build momentum and confidence ahead of the Morocco tournament.

Bafana are keen on cultivating a strong winning culture as they seek to reach the final of AFCON.