Hugo Broos (left): Photo Credit:
South African Football Association Facebook page.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos says he is satisfied with the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) draw, describing Group B as ‘not easy” but manageable while citing Egypt as favourites.
The Belgian, credited with restoring the pride of the 1996 AFCON champions, spoke to South African Football Association media in reaction to the draw held on Monday in Morocco where his side was placed alongside Egypt, Zimbabwe, and Angola.
“So, in general, I think we can be satisfied. It is not a very easy group. On the other hand, I think we have a great opportunity to qualify for the next round of the AFCON,” he said.
The Bafana Bafana mentor added that what was critical in tournament football was getting past the group stages, although it won’t be easy facing teams such as the Pharaohs and Angola.
The former Cameroon handler described Egypt as the favourite in the group looking at their pedigree in the competition.
“When I look at our opponents for AFCON, I think Egypt is the favourite to win the group. They didn’t do very well at the last AFCON. they didn’t perform like everybody expected and were very soon out of the tournament,” he explained.
“Then we have Zimbabwe again. This is the fourth time that we are playing against Zimbabwe. We played against Zimbabwe in the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the qualification of the last AFCON, but they were suspended, so there was no game between them and us.”
Broos added: “We are playing against Zimbabwe in the qualifiers for the next World Cup. We have them again in the next AFCON. Zimbabwe is a neighbour of South Africa and it’s always a difficult game for us.”
The AFCON bronze medalists qualified for the 2025 AFCON finals with a clean record, leading Group K without a loss after collecting 14 points while being joined at the finals by second-placed Uganda with 13 points. Congo and table anchor South Sudan missed the ticket to the finals.
Bafana Bafana resume their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a home game against Lesotho before travelling to Benin in March 2025.
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