Mosimane returns to familiar territory as Eritrea take Bafana Bafana to Egypt

Eritrea is one of many African nations that don’t have stadium compliance with CAF or meet FIFA standards for hosting matches, leading to them to take their matches to Morocco and Egypt. 

Guinea and AFCON co-hosts Kenya are the two other teams in the group, where only the log leaders will qualify for the AFCON, with Harambee Stars (coached by Benni McCarthy), automatically qualified for the tournament. 

With the South African Football Association (SAFA) expected to announce the return of Pitso Mosimane this week as Bafana Bafana head coach, following the conclusion of the contractual talks this past weekend, this should set the ball rolling for the Pamoja AFCON preparations. 

Mosimane, who returns for his second stint, will succeed former Belgian international Hugo Broos, who had a very successful five-year spell with Bafana Bafana in the last five years, taking them back-to-back AFCON’s, and guided the national team to a bronze medal at the 2023 edition in Cote d’Ivoire. His parting shot was reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage in Mexico and the US, a first for Bafana at the World Cup level.  

Bafana Bafana will play Guinea on Saturday, 26 September at a venue yet to be determined here at home, with Gauteng and North West believed to be leading options, as the team would require a venue that’s very close to the OR Tambo International Airport to be able to jet off to Egypt that same evening. The game against Eritrea in Egypt is scheduled for Wednesday, 30, September. 

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A trip to Egypt will be familiar territory for Mosimane, having spent close to three years there, in one of his most successful coaching stints at the highest level of African football, winning two CAF Champions League titles with the African club of the century, Al Ahly. 

Earlier this year, the “Red Sea Camels” of Eritrea ended an 18-year absence from the AFCON when they knocked out Eswatini, beating them 4-1 on aggregate, having won 2-0 in Morocco, and again 2-1 in the return leg at the Somhlolo stadium, in the preliminary stage. 

The Eritrean’s 24-man squad in these two matches included 10 locals and some expats playing in Australia, Egypt, England, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines and Sweden.