AFCON 2025: Broos reveals message of caution he sent Bafana players

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos admits his team heads into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations under a huge weight of expectations while opponents will treat them differently.

South Africa are among teams tipped to go all the way and lift Africa’s biggest football prize during the December 21 to January 18 tournament in Morocco after finishing third at AFCON 2023 in the Ivory Coast.

At the time, South Africa were among the also-runs, as a team full of local-based players, which had failed to qualify for the 2021 edition, and was not considered a threat.

Yet, they surprised all to win bronze and it could have been more as they lost the semi-final to Nigeria only on the lottery of post-match penalties.

Broos expects harsh treatment in Morocco

Since beating DR Congo on post-match penalties to secure bronze in February 2024, South Africa have not tasted defeat and head to Morocco on the back of a 26-match unbeaten run, which includes World Cup qualification, and Broos acknowledges his team will be looked at differently this time.

“I’ve told players that our status is a little bit different than the previous AFCON,” said Broos.

“In the last AFCON, we were just one of the teams that were there. But now, we are one of the teams that can win AFCON.

“Our opponents will have a different mindset when they play us than when they played us two years ago. I told them [players] to be prepared on that.”

What gives Bafana coach AFCON hopes?

Broos, whose team will open their campaign against Angola on Monday December 22 is, however, confident that his charges will not crack under the weight of expectations and will put up a good show instead.

“But I’m not nervous because I believe just like I was believing in that team that we had two years ago. Even though we have some young new players now with us, but we know what we can do, I know how good we are,” he added.

“We just have to focus now, the next days and try to have a good start – what we didn’t have last year [losing against Mali].”

South Africa are in a Group B that also includes Egypt and Zimbabwe with a meeting against the Pharaohs scheduled on Boxing Day before completing group stage action against the Warriors on December 29.