Bafana Bafana look for winning start to Afcon qualifiers

South Africa will look for a winning start to the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) when they host Uganda for a Group K clash at the Orlando Stadium on the evening of Friday 6 September 2024.

Kick-off is at 6pm CAT.

South Africa, who finished third at the last Afcon in Ivory Coast earlier this year, will be looking to qualify for the continental tournament for a 12th time.

They come into the match on the back of a solid start to their qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup, having played to a 1-1 draw away to Nigeria and claimed a 3-1 home win over Zimbabwe back in June.

However, Bafana Bafana will be without captain and first-choice goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who is recovering from an injury.

“If you have a guy like Ronwen who will not be with us in the two games, that is a big problem. He is not just a good goalkeeper, he is also a good captain,” said coach Hugo Broos, who also has concerns over Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Themba Zwane not being a regular starter at club level so far in the 2024-25 season.

“I don’t think that will be a problem for now. But if that goes on, it can become a problem, certainly [because] a player like him, he has to play.

“When a player like at that age is always at the bench and coming in for 20 minutes. I hope the new coach changes his mind a little bit and I see more of Themba at Sundowns than what I saw now.”

Uganda, meanwhile, are looking to return to the Afcon for the ninth time and a first time since 2019. They had a mixed start to their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, winning 1-0 at home to Botswana before suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Algeria.

Coach Paul Put has named a strong squad for this clash, including the likes of Khalid Aucho, Steven Mukwala and Elvis Bwomono.

In head-to-head stats, South Africa and Uganda have met in five previous matches. Bafana Bafana boast an unbeaten record (four wins, one draw) and defeated the Cranes 3-2 when the teams last met, in an international friendly at Orlando Stadium in June 2021.

Evidence Makgopa (two) and Bongokuhle Hlongwane netted for the hosts, while the East African side’s goals were scored by Ibrahim Orit and Lumala Abdu.