Bafana Bafana coach reveals his AFCON 2025 target

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Bafana Bafana coach reveals his AFCON 2025 target

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos admits his team will have a hard time at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations compared to the 2023 edition when they finished third.

South Africa were among the surprise packages at AFCON 2023, when they stormed the semi-final and won a bronze medal, at a time few had given them a chance of going that far.

At the time, Broos’ men arrived after missing out on the 2021 edition and with a squad made largely of PSL players, they were not considered a major threat compared to others who had star-studded teams with players plying their trade in top leagues in Europe.

South Africa surprised many at AFCON 2023

Hugo Broos

However, despite losing their first match to Mali, they steadied the ship and made it to the Round of 16, where they eliminated 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, before edging Cape Verde in the quarter-final and then losing on post-match penalties to Nigeria in the last four.

Bafana Bafana would beat DR Congo on penalties in the third-place playoff to win bronze and since then, they have remained unbeaten, qualifying for AFCON 2025 and the 2026 World Cup by topping their group, something that makes them a major threat this year.

“AFCON will be different than two years ago,” Broos admitted on SABC TV when unveiling his final AFCON squad on Monday.

What is Broos aiming at in Morocco this year?

“The status of South African has increased and I think our opponents will come on the pitch with a different mindset than two years ago so it will be more difficult for us.”

Broos, however, remains confident in his charges and believes the team he has selected should be able to make it to the semi-final just like in Ivory Coast last time around.

“But on the other hand, I am very confident,” added the 73-year-old Belgian tactician. “I know the qualities of the players and team I selected, the 25 players I selected, so we have to be confident and try at least the same thing that we did two years ago, so arriving in the semi-finals.”

The Bafana boss feels it is possible to achieve the set targets because his team has learned a lot and matured since their last appearance at AFCON.

<!-- 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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