South African senior men’s national team coach Pitso Mosimane has announced his maiden Bafana Bafana squad just days after assuming the reins this week.
Mosimane took over the hot seat from Belgian Hugo Broos on Tuesday and has quickly got down to business ahead of the qualifiers for 2027 CAF Africa Cup of Nations later this month.
Bafana Bafana host Guinea in their opening match of the AFCON qualifiers on Saturday, 26 September 2026 and then travel to face Eritrea away in the second group match on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. The South Africans will wrap up their assignments on the road with an international friendly match against Egypt on 4 October 2026.
Mosimane has retained the majority of the players who represented the nation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup – held in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada a few weeks ago – and reached the second round of the global tournament.
There are injuries to several players who were at the World Cup and they are noticeable absentees from the preliminary list. This will be Bafana Bafana’s first match without the late Jayden Adams, who was laid to rest in Stellenbosch in July 2026.
The coach has given recognition to several players who could also make it into coach Raymond Mdaka’s South African Under-23 team to be announced in the coming weeks. The two coaches and the members of the technical department are in constant conversation as they plot a way forward for South African football.
