Marrakech – South Africa’s Bafana Bafana will face Zimbabwe in Marrakech on Monday evening, with a place in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 at stake. Kick-off is at 6pm South African time.
Head coach Hugo Broos compared the match to Bafana’s final group game at the last AFCON in Ivory Coast, where a goalless draw against Tunisia secured progression to the knockout stage and eventually a bronze medal. This time, South Africa have beaten Angola and lost to Egypt. A draw or win against the Warriors will guarantee them a place in the last 16, while a defeat would require them to be among the four best third-place finishers from the eight groups.
“We know our opponent tomorrow, this is not the first time we are playing them,” Broos said at a pre-match press conference in Marrakech. “In four years as a coach in South Africa when we have qualified for the World Cup or Nations Cup we have often had Zimbabwe in our group. They like to win against us, so it will be tough. We will have to achieve our best level to get a result.”
Bafana defender Nkosinathi Sibisi said the team is targeting a victory to boost confidence heading into the knockout stage. “We don’t want to lose, but we know a victory will be good motivation for us going to the next round. So we are looking forward to hopefully getting a result,” said the Orlando Pirates centre back.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, must win to advance. Warriors head coach Marian Marincia told FarPost: “We need to win the last match against South Africa to have a chance to qualify. There is no negotiating, we must win.”
Bafana and Zimbabwe have met multiple times in recent years, including four matches in qualifiers for the 2022 and 2026 World Cups. South Africa won twice, and two games ended in goalless draws. The Warriors were also drawn in Bafana’s group for the 2023 AFCON qualifiers but were suspended due to political interference in their football association.
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