2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON): Bafana Bafana’s Group B Dream, Tournament History, Key Stats & All You Need to Know

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2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON): Bafana Bafana’s Group B Dream, Tournament History, Key Stats & All You Need to Know
Picture courtesy of Facebook/Bafana Bafana

Bafana Bafana will begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Monday December 22 with a match against Angola at the 41,356-seater Grand Stade de Marrak Stadium in Marrakech.

According to the AFCON 2025 schedule released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Friday, South Africa will play their Group B matches in Marrakech and Agadir with their opening match against tricky Angola.

Hugo Broos’ men will then take on Egypt at the 41,144-seater Grand Stade D’Agadir in Agadir on Boxing Day, a match that will give them a big test, before completing group stage action against neighbours Zimbabwe on December 29 back at the Grand Stade de Marrak Stadium in Marrakech.

When will knockout matches be played?

If they advance to the Round of 16, South Africa will play their match between January 3 and 6, 2026 while the quarter-final will be played from January 9-10 if they make it to the last eight.

A place in the semi-final will see South Africa play on either January 15 or 16 with the final set for January 18, a day after the third-place playoff match.

Hosts Morocco will begin the tournament with a match against Comoros on December 21 at the 69,500-seater Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, the same venue that will host the final.

Several host cities for AFCON 2025

Teboho Mokoena Evidence Makgopa Mothobi Mvala and Sipho Chaine Bafana Bafana

Rabat will have four match venues, with other host cities Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Fes and Tangier to have one each.

The four quarter-final fixtures will be played at the Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, as well as in Tangier, Marrakech and Agadir while the semi-finals will be in Rabat and Tangier, with the third-place play-off set for the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.

South Africa finished third at the 2023 edition in the Ivory Coast and there is hope that they can improve on that at the 2025 tournament in Morocco.

Bafana Bafana: Eyes on the Prize

South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana, enters the tournament with renewed optimism under head coach Hugo Broos. While the coach has tempered expectations around the inclusion of U-20 stars from Amajita, the senior squad is expected to feature seasoned campaigners like Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena.

Broos has hinted at a balanced squad, blending experience with emerging talent, but insists that AFCON is not the stage for premature promotions.

“They are talented, yes. But AFCON is a different level. Let them grow first,” Broos said, referring to Amajita’s standout performances at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Monday: December 22

South Africa vs Angola (Grand Stade de Marrak)

Friday December 26

Egypt vs South Africa (Grand Stade D’Agadir)

Monday December 29

Zimbabwe vs South Africa (Grand Stade de Marrak)

Where to Watch

Fans across the continent can catch every match live via:

  • SuperSport and SABC Sport in South Africa
  • Canal + in North Africa
  • CAF TV for global highlights
  • DStv Stream for mobile access
  • Radio 2000 and Metro FM for matchday radio coverage

AFCON All-Time Player Records

Most Goals in AFCON History

  • Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) – 18 goals
  • Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast) – 14 goals
  • Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) – 13 goals
  • Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – 11 goals
  • Hossam Hassan (Egypt) – 11 goals
  • Patrick Mboma (Cameroon) – 11 goals
  • Andre Ayew (Ghana) – 10 goals (still active

Most AFCON Tournament Appearances

  • Rigobert Song (Cameroon) – 8 tournaments
  • Ahmed Hassan (Egypt) – 8 tournaments
  • Andre Ayew (Ghana) – 8 tournaments
  • Youssef Msakni (Tunisia) – 8 tournaments

Most AFCON Matches Played

  • Rigobert Song (Cameroon) – 36 matches
  • Andre Ayew (Ghana) – 36 matches
  • Ahmed Hassan (Egypt) – 32 matches
  • Seydou Keita (Mali) – 31 matches
  • Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) – 31 matches

Other Notable AFCON Records

  • Most goals in a single tournament: 9 – Ndaye Mulamba (Zaire, 1974)
  • Most goals in a single match: 5 – Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast vs Ethiopia, 1970)
  • Fastest goal: 23 seconds – Ayman Mansour (Egypt vs Mozambique, 1994)
  • Oldest scorer: Hossam Hassan (Egypt, age 39)
  • Youngest player: Chiva Star Nzighou (Gabon, age 16)
<!-- Author Start -->Joel Oliver<!-- Author End -->

Joel Oliver

Author

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.

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