Bafana Bafana vs Kenya: AFCON 2027 Qualifier Preview, Team News, Prediction & Betting Tips

Bafana Bafana host Kenya at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Friday, November 13, with Pitso Mosimane chasing a fourth win from four games since he took charge in September.

The sharper storyline sits in the visiting dugout. Benni McCarthy, Bafana’s all-time leading scorer, comes back to South Africa as Kenya’s head coach and faces his native country for the first time.

McCarthy arrives saying his technical staff have gone around three months without pay, and that FIFA and CAF may have to step in. That is his account of the situation, and no response from the Kenyan federation appears in the reports available.

The sporting stakes are lopsided. Kenya have already qualified for the 2027 finals as co-hosts with Uganda and Tanzania, so only one place remains open to South Africa, Guinea or Eritrea, and a win would stretch the Bafana lead before the return leg in Nairobi on Tuesday, November 17.

⚽ Kickoff Snapshot — South Africa vs Kenya
Competition	2027 AFCON qualifiers, Group D (matchday three)
Kickoff	Friday, November 13, 2026 — 18:00 SAST
Venue	Orlando Stadium, Soweto
Where to Watch	Broadcaster to be confirmed
First competitive meeting between the sides: the previous four were all friendlies.

South Africa vs Kenya: Form and Group D Picture

Bafana have won four of their last five matches, scoring nine goals, conceding two and keeping three clean sheets. The run includes a 1-0 win away to Egypt and a 1-0 group win over South Korea at the World Cup, while the only defeat was the 1-0 loss to Canada in the round of 32.

In Group D they lead on six points with a goal difference of plus six, after beating Guinea 2-1 and Eritrea 5-0 under Mosimane. Guinea, on three points, are due to face Eritrea on Thursday, so the picture behind Bafana may shift before kickoff.

Kenya have taken one win, three draws and a defeat from their last five, scoring six and conceding three, with their only victory a 4-0 friendly win over Lesotho in June.

They are winless in three, having drawn 0-0 with Rwanda in a friendly after a 1-0 loss away to Guinea and a 1-1 home draw with Eritrea.

Ryan Ogam’s 87th-minute equaliser against Eritrea is the only goal Kenya have scored in the group. They sit third on one point, ahead of Eritrea on goal difference, and FIFA ranks them 114th against South Africa’s 48th.

Bafana Bafana vs Kenya Team News and Predicted XI

Mosimane kept Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena in his 27-man squad despite both missing recent Sundowns games, saying he would only rule them out on medical advice. Both started the CAF Super Cup final defeat by USM Alger on November 8, and their availability depends on final checks.

If Williams is not fit, Sipho Chaine or Ricardo Goss would step in, while Bathusi Aubaas or Brooklyn Poggenpoel could cover for Mokoena.

Mbekezeli Mbokazi returns from injury, Lyle Foster rejoins after missing the September camp, and Themba Zwane and Nkosinathi Sibisi were left out.

Kenya welcome back captain Michael Olunga after pelvic surgery, plus defender Eric Ouma after a long absence. Manzur Okwaro is reported injured, with Gor Mahia midfielder Alpha Onyango expected to take his place, although the federation has not confirmed the change.

Onyango was left out of the provisional squad but arrives with five goals in six league games for Gor Mahia.

South Africa Team News	Kenya Team News
Ronwen Williams: doubt, final fitness check Teboho Mokoena: doubt, final fitness check Mbekezeli Mbokazi: back from injury No suspensions reported	Manzur Okwaro: reported injured, not confirmed by the federation Alpha Onyango: expected replacement Michael Olunga: back from surgery No suspensions reported

South Africa vs Kenya Head-to-Head

The two nations have met four times, all in friendlies, with South Africa winning three and drawing one. Bafana scored six goals and conceded two across those games.

Kenya did score in the 1-1 draw in 2002 and the 2-1 defeat in 2012, but every meeting is more than a decade old. Treat it as colour rather than a guide, since this is the first time the sides meet with points at stake.

Star Player Comparison: Mofokeng vs Ogam

Star Player Comparison
Relebohile Mofokeng Forward · South Africa	Stat	Ryan Ogam Forward · Kenya
2	AFCON Q goals	1
2 of 7	Team’s group goals	1 of 1
Union Saint-Gilloise	Club	RFC Liège
Eritrea	Scored against	Eritrea

Mofokeng is the man in form for Bafana, and both of his qualifying goals came in the 5-0 win over Eritrea. Ogam supplies the only Kenyan group goal so far, and the pair both play their club football in Belgium.

Olunga is the other name to watch. Kenyan media put him on 34 international goals, one short of William Ouma’s national record of 35, so a single strike would level it.

The Managers: Mosimane vs McCarthy

Mosimane was appointed on September 1 on a five-year deal, replacing Hugo Broos, and has won all three matches in charge. It is his second spell with the national team after an earlier stint from 2010 to 2012.

McCarthy has led Kenya since March 2025 and now meets the country whose record books he tops. Mosimane has played down any edge from that familiarity, while McCarthy has said his responsibility is to Kenya and that his side want to compete.

Tactical Preview: How South Africa and Kenya Could Line Up

Bafana should again look to press and create volume, but Mosimane has admitted they convert only around two of every six chances. That finishing gap, not shot count, is the real question in Soweto.

With Appollis and Dithejane either side of Mofokeng, Foster has service from both flanks against a Kenyan back four that has conceded in three of its last five.

Kenya’s problem is at the other end, where one goal in two group games gives McCarthy little to build on. Expect a compact shape and a reliance on Olunga, Ogam and Obiero to make something from limited possession.

🔮 Score Prediction

South Africa 2-0 Kenya

Bafana’s form and home advantage should tell against a winless, low-scoring Kenya. Likely scorers: Mofokeng and Foster.