Two major goals in the wings after a resurgent Bafana Bafana end a good year

Next year promises to be a memorable one for South Africa’s men’s senior soccer side, Bafana Bafana. Compared with the poor standards they set for themselves over the past decade and a half, 2024 was quite a year.

Belgian coach Hugo Broos’s team has grown exponentially since he took over the reins from Molefi Ntseki in 2021. Prior to the stability, self-belief, discipline and hunger for success that he has brought to the team, Bafana Bafana were free-falling into the abyss of unfulfilled potential.

This was especially so after the impact they had made post-apartheid, winning their sole Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title in 1996 and generally doing well in international competition. However, from about 2010, Bafana Bafana’s star continuously faded as they struggled to even qualify for tournaments, never mind doing well in them.

Since the arrival of Broos, there has been a major shift in mentality and attitude in the team, as shown by their gritty run to the semifinals of Afcon 2023, where they picked up their first major medal in almost three decades as they finished third. They built on this foundation throughout 2024, qualifying for the 2025 Afcon as the winners of their group, which consisted of Uganda, Congo Brazzaville and South Sudan. In 2025, they will be out to continue their resurgence.

Looking ahead

The South Africans could have two major milestones to achieve come the new year. The first one is to clinch their first Fifa World Cup participation since they qualified as hosts in 2010.

It was not a memorable last outing at the global event, as Bafana Bafana crashed out in the group stage to become the first host nation not to make it into the knockout round. Since then, they have missed out on three World Cups. But under Broos they have an outstanding opportunity to discontinue this barren run, especially as their biggest threat to finishing at the summit of Group C, Nigeria, are not playing their best soccer at present.

Also in South Africa’s group are Rwanda, who are level with Bafana Bafana on seven points from four matches, although they are ahead because of a superior goal difference. Benin, Lesotho and Zimbabwe complete the six-team mini-league.

Only the team that finishes at the top of the group will book a ticket directly to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada. There is also a second route via a tedious intercontinental play-off for the teams that finish as the four best runners-up.

“If you ask me now, ‘Are you going to qualify for the World Cup?’, I can’t say yes because in football you never know what is going to happen. But I’m confident that we can do it,” Broos said.

“If South Africa can qualify for the World Cup, it is now because we have quality, we have a good team. So, we can do it, but we still have to do it. If we show the same mentality, the same quality, the same team spirit [that we showed in 2024], there’s a big chance that we’ll qualify for the World Cup.”

The World Cup qualification campaign culminates in October 2025, although the team will seek to be qualified long before then. In March they will play Lesotho and Benin, and will be seeking maximum points to boost their chances of topping Group C. In December 2025, Bafana Bafana will shift gears and focus on the Afcon in Morocco. The host nation will be the favourites to win their second Africa title, which they last won back in 1976.

But Bafana Bafana, who beat the Moroccans 2-0 in the last 16 of the 2023 Afcon, are also genuine favourites to reach the final. They have the camaraderie, they have a coach who is an Afcon winner and they have confidence as well. What will be key to their success or failure in Morocco is how they apply this.

Local is lekker

What Broos has shown during his four years in charge of the national team is that there are good players in the Premier Soccer League. He has relied heavily on local talent during his tenure, spreading his net far and wide. Even so, Mamelodi Sundowns players such Teboho Mokoena, Khuliso Mudau and Ronwen Williams have been the base of his team’s success.

A few Orlando Pirates stars have also played their part to keep Bafana Bafana operating as smoothly as they have in recent months. It is with this knowledge that Broos will be keeping a keen eye on the developments in the Premiership over the next few months.

Sundowns are chasing an eighth league title on the trot, but so far this season Pirates have shown potential to topple the dominant Downs and win their first league title since 2012. Whether they can do it or not is another story, as former Pirates and Sundowns midfielder Teko Modise pointed out.

“Pirates have quality and depth. They also have the winning mentality, plus they have tasted the glory. The coach [José Riveiro] has also been consistent. It’s been a while since a Pirates coach lasted this long. The fans are also back in the stadium, so they have all the ingredients needed to become South African champions,” Modise told Daily Maverick.

“But they have not competed with Sundowns while playing in the Champions League… Sundowns have the experience of being able to juggle cup competitions while remaining dominant in the league.”

Further abroad

Another team whose perennial league dominance is under threat is Manchester City. The Pep Guardiola-coached team rewrote history in 2024 as they won the Premier League for the fourth season on the spin. City’s start to the new season was difficult after this proud achievement.

Guardiola’s men suffered five defeats in their first 16 matches of the 2024/25 season. Last season, when they made it four Premier League titles in a row, they fell to just three defeats in 38 league games. Will they be able to miraculously rescue this campaign as they have done with previous ones when they have had rough patches?

Even if they do, they may not be able to close the gap on Arne Slot’s Liverpool. The Reds have been in sublime form so far this season and look set to push all the way and win just their second Premier League title in Slot’s maiden season in charge.

His instant impact has also seen Liverpool lead the standings in the rejigged European Champions League, which moved away from multiple mini-groups this season and instead adopted a league format with 36 teams fighting to qualify for the round of 16. Based on their form in the league phase, the English side is also a favourite for the European title. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.