The Africa Cup of Nations is back this December and January, with the continent's very best set to battle it out in Morocco as they aim to take Cote d'Ivoire's crown after their unlikely victory at the start of 2024. AFCON's prestige, drama and quality remains up there with the Euros and Copa America, but the downside for European clubs is it's another tournament which falls slap bang in the middle of their seasonal calendar, meaning most teams will be losing players for up to a month.

The Warriors are among the 24 nations on the continent that will be in action in the next couple of days, hoping to make a statement in North Africa. However, they will have to do without former Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns winger, alongside a Premier Soccer League midfielder who insists he was ready to represent his country.

The Premier League served up a Southern African showdown as Bafana Bafana’s Foster and Zimbabwe’s Munetsi both found the net in the match between Wolves and Burnley. Munetsi struck first for the home side, but it was Foster who sealed the deal with a late winner at Molineux Stadium on Sunday, 26 October.

Mzansi faced their COSAFA rivals at a critical juncture of their qualification journey, and they were deeply frustrated. But in the end, despite what looked like insurmountable challenges, SA finally qualified for next year's finals.