Ronwen Williams urges Bafana to forget World Cup, focus on AFCON 2025

Published on 11 Dec 2025 at 15:14 by Willis Sob

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has cautioned his teammates against looking too far ahead after learning their 2026 World Cup opponents, insisting the immediate priority is the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco.

Afcon runs from December 21 to January 18, with Bafana drawn in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola and Zimbabwe. Their campaign kicks off against Angola on December 22 in Marrakech.

“We don’t have to get ahead of ourselves. The most important thing right now is Afcon,” Williams told the Sowetan.

The skipper acknowledged the heightened expectations following last year’s bronze medal finish in Ivory Coast, saying the squad is determined to deliver another podium result.

“The country wants us to come back with a medal, and the only way to achieve that is to have full focus on Afcon. The World Cup is still months away. Every moment deserves its spotlight, and right now Afcon deserves our full respect. We want to make history.”

While urging focus on Morocco, Williams admitted the World Cup draw was “exciting.” South Africa will face Mexico, South Korea, and the winner of the European playoff (Denmark vs North Macedonia and Czech Republic vs Ireland) in Group A.

The opening clash against Mexico in Mexico City will be a repeat of the 2010 World Cup curtain-raiser in Johannesburg.

Willis Sob

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Willis Sob is an experienced journalist who has been in the game since 2009, covering major assignments around the continent.
His hunger for African football is unmatched, always getting the best angles and facts to feed the fans and quench their thirst.