25 September 2026 – Pitso Mosimane took ownership of the bunch of keys that open the door to his office exactly 25 days ago, and the time has now come for the Bafana Bafana coach to finally give the nation a glimpse of some of the tricky formulas that have been contemplated at the end of the passage in the technical wing of SAFA House.
The Mosimane era begins when the South African senior men’s national team hosts Guinea in their opening qualifying match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon. Kick off is at 15h00.
This is a match that was already layered with intrigue and tension when Guinea coach Paulo Duarte elected to add extra seasoning by refusing to attend a mandatory pre-match press conference at the match venue on Friday afternoon. The members of the media were not amused when Duarte sent his assistant Mamadouba Sylla to face the gathered gallery in his place.
Observers wondered if the building pressure had to got to the Portugese tactician but as Mosimane later opined, all coaches carry an occupational weight on their shoulders as soon as they take ownership of that bunch of keys.
“We are all under pressure, even at international level, in Europe and (everywhere). The minute you do not feel the pressure, I think arrogance then creeps in, and so does complacency. Yes, there is pressure and we have to understand that this is part of the package of being coach at national level. There is pressure and there are expectations, and results are expected,” he said.
While Mosimane has largely been happy with the way things have gone in camp this week, injuries to Lebohang Maboe and Nkosinathi Sibisi have been a concern.
Following that opening AFCON assignment against Guinea, the South Africa senior men’s national team will then face Eritrea at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, in the second group match on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. The South Africans will wrap up their assignments on the road with an international friendly match against Egypt at Cairo International Stadium on 4 October 2026.
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