Hugo Broos adamant Bafana Bafana can't afford to play Egypt in AFCON 'with a knife on throat' as he anticipates a tough outing after winning Bronze in initial edition

When Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), just a handful of fans, if any, believed they could get something from the biennial competition.

This is a team that had failed to make the 2021 competition and struggled to make a statement in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. 

A couple of years later, Hugo Broos managed to steer the team to the 2025 AFCON edition without tasting defeat, as well as grabbing an automatic 2026 World Cup slot.

Bafana Bafana have been placed in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola, and Zimbabwe in the African competition that kicks off on Sunday. A day later, they will be facing Angola, hoping for nothing but victory.

As a matter of fact, Hugo Broos' men have been tipped to challenge for the title owing to their decent run across all competitions in the last couple of years.

Having won a Bronze in 2023 put Bafana Bafana in a different bracket, as explained by coach Broos. 

He argues that only a handful of teams took South Africa seriously back then, but it will not be the case in Morocco since they already know what they are coming up against.

“I have already told the players that our status is a little different from the previous AFCON. In the previous AFCON, we were just one of the teams. Maybe today we are one of the teams that can win AFCON,” the former Cameroon coach told the media. 

“That means, I’m sure of it, that our opponents will have a different mindset when they play against us than they did two years ago. We have to be prepared for that.

“I’m not nervous because I still believe in what I did in the past years in the team, even when there are some new players, young players with us. But I know what we can do, I know how good we are," Broos added.

“To see the progression of Bafana in the last two years, then you have in mind the game against Nigeria a few months ago, now we can also play with power, we can also resist power. That means we don’t have to be afraid of AFCON. I also read left and right that some countries are saying that South Africa can win AFCON.

“So maybe we are now one of the favourites, the many favourites because when you see the teams who are now at AFCON, and you compare two years ago, I think this AFCON will be much tougher," he added.

After playing Angola on Monday, Bafana Bafana will have a tough assignment four days later against the seven-time champions, Egypt. They will then conclude their Group B games with a seemingly easy outing against Zimbabwe on December 29. 

The tactician has explained how a win in their opening game will help Bafana Bafana when they come up against the Pharaohs in their second outing.

“We just have to focus on the next days and certainly try to have a good start. The difference now is that we play the first game against Angola, then we play against the favourites in our group, Egypt,” he explained.   
“So, imagine if we don’t win against Angola, then you play with a knife [on the throat], and we have to avoid that. We have to win that first game. 

“We have to be ready from the first minute, and I’m sure that we will," he concluded.

South Africa played two build-up matches ahead of the biennial tournament. They first faced the 2012 winners, Zambia, and managed to claim a 3-1 win.  

Their second build-up game was on December 16 against a second-string Ghanaian team, where Sipho Mbule's sole strike was all they needed to win the match.

Bafana Bafana will now leave Mzansi on Wednesday for Morocco, hoping to defy the odds and go all the way.