Bafana Bafana brace for tough Zambia test Ahead of AFCON

Zambia might have faced challenges in the last few years, leading to their decline, but they should give Bafana Bafana who are beginning their preparations for the upcoming AFCON in Morocco next month, a run for their money.

Chipolopolo were the last COSAFA region nation to win AFCON, back in 2012. But instead of building on that foundation, they’ve endured several setbacks. They exited in the group stage in the following two editions before failing to qualify for the next three tournaments.

They’ll return to the biggest football stage on the continent next month. However, all is not well within the team, as they remain without a coach just weeks before the event following the departure of Avram Grant.

Bafana Bafana’s fortunes, on the other hand, have changed for the better in recent months. They qualified for AFCON and the 2026 FIFA World Cup with top finishes in the group stages, building on their podium finish in the last AFCON in Ivory Coast.

Given that Bafana will head to Morocco as one of the dark horses, they were expected to play friendlies and prepare against some of the continent’s top nations or smaller teams from abroad.

But that wasn’t to be - and that’s not a train smash. With two of Bafana’s group-stage opponents are COSAFA rivals, Zimbabwe and Angola, so they should be well prepared to face them, alongside the group’s favourites, Egypt.

Coach Hugo Broos, speaking during his announcement of the Bafan squad to face Zambia at Nelson Mandela Stadium next Saturday (6pm, kick-off) has no doubt that their character will be tested by Chipolopolo.

“We always try to find a team that can help us make a good assessment, and Zambia were ready to come,” Broos said. “They are good opponents. Don’t underestimate them. It will be a good clash.”

Broos has shown that he’s not taking the match lightly either. He named the bulk of his regulars for the Zambia clash, while there are two notable inclusions: Keletso Makgalwa and Masindi Nemtajela.

“My first thought was not to call up players from Sundowns and Pirates, but I refrained because I thought this was not the moment, like in June,” Broos said.

“It was just friendly games then, but I can’t do that now. Preparations are too close to AFCON, so everybody will be there for us. Zambia will be a good test.”

Broos has already faced some pressure from coaches and agents. His counterpart, Manqoba Mngqithi, has been advocating for the in-form Siyanda Ndlovu to join the national team set-up.

Broos revealed that a lot is happening as he tries to balance his World Cup-bound squad with some relatively new faces.

“It’s normal that coaches want to protect their players,” Broos said. “But Bafana is not about coming and going. It’s a team where we plan things carefully. Just because a player is performing well doesn’t mean we must immediately select him.

“:If we take him, then who must we drop? I understand people have different opinions, but if I followed that every game, we’d have new players all the time - and that’s not the goal.

We want to build a team that can grow together for something meaningful. Of course, when something happens, we can look elsewhere, as we’ve been doing.”

Broos has missed a key piece of the puzzle, Themba Zwane, in recent months due to a nasty injury. He said he understands Zwane’s situation and hopes the team can remain united.

“Themba, I will see. He’s injured at the moment again, and I don’t know if he will play in the next two weeks, we might have to forget about him,” Broos said.

“He hasn’t played all season, so I think for AFCON it will be very difficult for Themba to make the final squad. But yes, I still hope that next year he’ll be available for the World Cup. We’ll see."