Four-year AFCON will benefit Africa – Hugo Broos ahead of showdown with Egypt

Speaking to the media ahead of Bafana Bafana’s second AFCON group-stage match against Egypt in Agadir, Broos says the move would benefit African football by improving player development and easing long-standing tensions between clubs and national teams.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced last week that, starting from 2028, AFCON will no longer be staged every two years but once every four years. Broos believes the decision will also help African countries to be more competitive in the World Cup...

"I think it's a really good thing, and now teams will be able to focus more on AFCON. Right now, in the back of your mind is the World Cup in six months."

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The Belgian coach speaks from experience. As head coach of Cameroon, Broos guided the Indomitable Lions to AFCON glory in 2017, but did so without several key players who were not released by their European clubs.

That tournament, he says, highlighted the strain that the two-year cycle places on both players and national teams.

Turning his attention to today’s clash against Egypt, Broos acknowledged the quality in the Pharaohs’ squad, which includes global stars such as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush. However, he expressed confidence in his own players’ ability to rise to the occasion and produce a positive result in the 17:00 (SA time) kickoff.

"We all know what kind of team Egypt is. They have some amazing players like Salah and Marmoush, so we know them well, but we are confident and looking forward to it."

The meeting between Bafana Bafana and the Pharaohs headlines a round of high-profile second-round group matches, with several teams already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup going head-to-head.

Broos added that South Africa’s opening 2–1 win over Angola has placed his side in a good position and given them belief heading into their toughest fixture of the group...