Source: @Orlando Pirates FC
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has settled on the venue for Pitso Mosimane’s return to the Bafana Bafana dugout, and the choice tells its own story. Orlando Stadium, the spiritual home of South African football in Soweto, will host the opening AFCON qualifier against Guinea on 26 September 2026, and there’s a certain symmetry in bringing Mosimane back to the national team through a ground so steeped in the game’s history here.
SAFA president Danny Jordaan has urged supporters to turn out for the occasion, and given the mixed emotions that accompanied Mosimane’s exit from Bafana the first time round, the atmosphere at Orlando Stadium should be worth watching in itself. Fans have long memories in this country, and a first home AFCON qualifier under a returning coach tends to draw a crowd hungry to see whether the old spark is still there.
Group D Campaign Takes Shape
The Guinea fixture opens Group D, and Mosimane won’t have long to reflect on the result either way. Four days later, on 30 September, Bafana travel to Cairo to face Eritrea in their second AFCON qualifier at the Al-Salam Stadium, a rapid turnaround that will test squad depth as much as tactical planning. Rather than flying home in between, the squad stays in Egypt for a friendly against the hosts at Cairo International Stadium on 4 October, giving Mosimane a genuine measuring stick against a side of considerably higher pedigree than either Group D opponent.
That’s a sensible piece of scheduling from a coaching perspective. Friendlies against limited opposition tell a manager little about where his squad stands, but a match against Egypt, even one stripped of qualifying stakes, will expose gaps in organisation and quality that Guinea and Eritrea might not. Mosimane gets three matches inside a fortnight to establish patterns, assess fitness levels and start building the group identity that any AFCON qualifier campaign demands from the outset.
The technical team is also taking shape around him. Morena Ramoreboli’s appointment as assistant coach brings in a figure who knows the Bafana environment already, having previously worked within the setup, and who led Botswana to a COSAFA Cup title during his time in charge of that federation. His experience at both club level with Jwaneng Galaxy and on the continental stage with Botswana gives Mosimane a lieutenant who understands regional football rather than an outsider learning the terrain from scratch.
With the preliminary squad named and a final selection due before the Guinea match, the pieces are falling into place quickly. What happens on the pitch in Soweto will set the tone for how South Africa’s AFCON qualifier campaign, and Mosimane’s second spell in charge, are read in the weeks that follow.
