Bafana Bafana will be playing the second of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Eritrea in neutral Cairo on Wednesday because the small Red Sea state does not have a stadium up to the required standard set by the Confederation of African Football.
South Africa are no strangers to playing on neutral turf as this long list of their previous international assignments at third-party stadiums shows:
1994
v Mexico 0-4: A veritable thrashing at the iconic Los Angeles Coliseum where the Augusto Palacios-coached team were swamped and only the heroics of goalkeeper Steve Crowley kept Bafana from further humiliation.
1997
v Zaire 2-1: The war in the then Zaire, as the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko was coming to an end, saw FIFA move a World Cup qualifier from Kinshasa to neutral Lomé, Togo, where Bafana won 2-1 to greatly enhance their chances of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup.
Confederation Cup: As African champions, Bafana went to the Confederation Cup in Saudi Arabia where the team drew 2-2 with the Czech Republic, lost 1-0 to the United Arab Emirates after a bad defensive error and missed a myriad of chances in going down 3-4 to Uruguay, who scored a last-minute winner – all leading to the sacking of coach Clive Barker.
1998
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana were holders for the tournament in Burkina Faso but started poorly with two draws against the Ivory Coast and Angola before Benni McCarthy’s hat-trick sparked a 4-1 win over Namibia and a run to the final that took in a brilliant David Nyathi goal to beat Morocco, an extra-time winner over DR Congo in the semifinal but then a 2-0 loss to Egypt in the final.
v Iceland 1-1: Iceland came to help Bafana prepare for the World Cup with a friendly at the pre-tournament camp that was set up in Baiersbronn, Germany, on the edge of the Black Forest.
World Cup: The first game against the French hosts was not a match on neutral territory but the subsequent draws with Denmark and Saudi Arabia in Toulouse and Bordeaux were, as Bafana’s World Cup debut ended in a disappointingly premature end when they had the potential to grab a top two place.
2000
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana finished third at the tournament, co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria. They beat Gabon and DR Congo and drew with Algeria to top the group, then upsetting the Black Stars in the quarterfinals before moving from Kumasi to Lagos where the Super Eagles won their semifinal clash. The third-place playoff victory over Tunisia was on post-match penalties.
US Cup: Bafana were invited to the mini tournament with their American hosts, plus Mexico and Ireland. The clash with Mexico at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas ended in a 4-2 defeat, followed by a 2-1 loss to the Irish at Giants Stadium in New York, despite taking the early lead.
2002
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana were based in Segou for the group stage of the tournament in Mali and, after goalless draws with Burkina Faso and Ghana, beat Morocco 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals, where they lost to hosts.
v Saudi Arabia 0-1: Bafana were invited by fellow World Cup finalists Saudi Arabia for a friendly warm-up game at Pistoie in Italy, where the team captain, Thabo Mngomeni, lost.
v Ecuador 0-0: Another World Cup warm-up, this time in Murcia, Spain, which saw Trott Moloto back as coach as the new man in charge, Jomo Sono, could not make it for the game.
Reunification Cup: On their way to the World Cup finals in South Korea, Bafana beat Scotland and Turkey in matches played at the National Stadium in Hong Kong.
World Cup: A disappointing return for an unambitious Bafana squad with coach Sono unaware of the permutations as they drew with Paraguay in Busan and then beat Slovenia in Daegu but could not hold on to the draw they needed against Spain in Daejoen.
Castle Lager Cup: A weakened squad went to play in the SA Breweries-sponsored tournament in Arusha, Tanzania, where Kenya beat Bafana in the semifinal on post-match penalties.
2004
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana played at three different venues in Tunisia, starting brightly as a Siyabonga Nomvete double ensured victory in Sfax over Benin but then being hammered 4-0 by Nigeria in Monastir before exiting the tournament after a 1-1 draw with Morocco in Sousse.
v Australia 0-1: London’s Loftus Road, home of Queens Park Rangers, was the venue for this friendly international between two old Commonwealth foes, with a 19th-minute goal from Marco Bresciano winning it for the Socceroos.
2005
Cosafa Castle Cup: Bafana went with a host of uncapped players, many without any league experience either, to Mauritius, where they played Seychelles in the first game of a mini qualifying tournament in Curepipe. Katlego Mphela scored two goals inside the first 20 minutes of his debut as South Africa won 3-0.
Concacaf Gold Cup: South Africa were guests at the continental championship in the US and beat Mexico first 2-1 in Carson, California, followed by a 2-2 draw with Jamaica at the LA Coliseum. They qualified for the last eight after drawing 1-1 with Guatemala in Houston and stayed there for their quarterfinal tie against Panama, eliminated on post-match penalties.
2006
Africa Cup of Nations: New coach Ted Dumitru took Bafana to the finals in Egypt, where they failed to score a goal and lost all three games: to Guinea, Tunisia, and Zambia in Alexandria. Dumitru was full of excuses, including blaming the rain!
Cosafa Castle Cup: Another mini tournament to try and qualify for the finals was hosted in Gaborone, where Bafana edged Swaziland 1-0 with Pitso Mosimane in charge.
v Egypt 0-1: Mosimane was about to hand over the reins of the team to Carlos Alberto Parreira but had one last game, played at the home of Brentford in London – Griffin Park. Emad Moteab scored after only three minutes and Bafana could not find an equaliser.
2007
Cosafa Castle Cup; Another mini tournament, this time at the Somhlolo Stadium in the Ezulwini Valley, where a goalless draw with Malawi saw South Africa advance on post-match penalties. The final the next day was a 2-0 win over Mauritius with Teko Modise scoring both.
2008
Africa Cup of Nations: Back to Ghana for another Cup of Nations tournament, this time north to Tamale where a late equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw with Angola, followed by a 3-1 loss to Tunisia and elimination after drawing 1-1 with Senegal in Kumasi.
v Australia 2-2: For a second time in four years, the two countries met at Loftus Road in London but this time South Africa shared the spoils, taking the lead but then needing to come back in the second half to secure the draw.
2009
v Portugal 0-2: World Cup preparation was well underway with a game in Lausanne, Switzerland against former coach Carlos Queiroz and a star-studded Portuguese side, who won easily. Cristiano Ronaldo only came on as a second-half substitute.
2010
v North Korea 0-0, Jamaica 2-0: Bafana held a training camp in Germany two months before the World Cup kickoff and had two friendly matches, drawing with the North Koreans in Wiesbaden and then beating the Reggae Boyz in Offenbach.
2013
Cosafa Cup: The tournament was played in Lusaka, where Bafana entered the quarterfinal stage, beating Namibia 2-1 in Lusaka but then losing on penalties in the semifinal to the host nation. A 2-1 win over Lesotho in Ndola meant they finished third.
2015
v Cameroon 1-1: Both countries were using Gabon for the preparations ahead of the Cup of Nations and played to a draw in Libreville.
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana played all three of their Group C games at Mongomo in the interior of Equatorial Guinea, but poor tactics from coach Shakes Mashaba ensured they were always on the backfoot. They lost 3-1 to Algeria, despite leading, then drew 1-1 with Senegal before letting Ghana come back in the last 10 minutes to beat them 2-1 and send them home.
2016
Cosafa Cup: Windhoek hosted the annual southern African championship, with Bafana edging Lesotho on penalties in the quarterfinal, thrashing Swaziland 5-1 in the semifinal, and taking the trophy with a 3-2 triumph over Botswana in the final at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
2018
Four Nations Cup: Bafana were invited to Zambia for a tournament at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, where they edged Angola in the semifinal on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
2019
v Libya 2-1: The civil war in Libya meant they had to move their Cup of Nations qualifier to Sfax in neighbouring Tunisia, where Percy Tau’s goals ensured victory and qualification to the finals in Egypt.
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana started poorly with a 1-0 loss to the Ivory Coast in Cairo but then beat Namibia 1-0 before losing again to Morocco. But they sneaked through as one of the best third-placed finishers, then upsetting the hosts before Nigeria stopped their progress in the quarterfinals.
2022
v Guinea 0-0: The first of two friendly matches in Europe, followed by a 5-0 thrashing in France by the reigning world champions, was against Guinea at the Guldensporenstadion in Kortrijk, Belgium. There were plenty of chances at either end, but poor finishing meant a stalemate for the small spattering of spectators.
2024
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana were handily beaten by Mali in their opening game in Korhogo but bounced back to beat neighbours Namibia 4-0 and draw with Tunisia to finish second in Group E of the final hosted in the Ivory Coast. In the knockout phase, there was an upset win over Morocco in San Pedro and then a narrow penalty shootout victory over Cape Verde in Yamoussoukro before Nigeria edged Bafana also on penalties in the semifinal. But Hugo Broos’ side did take the bronze medal, with another shootout success, this time over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
v Andorra 1-1: FIFA organised a new set of cross-confederation friendlies, called the FIFA series, with Algeria hosting matches involving Andorra, Bolivia, and South Africa. Bafana played the tiny European principality in Annaba at the 19 May 1956 Stadium and had to come from behind to draw in a disappointing result against a country 106 places below them in the FIFA rankings.
2025
v Benin 2-0: A key qualifier en route to finishing top of the group and winning an automatic place at the 2026 World Cup in North America. Lyle Foster and Jayden Adams scored in the second half of a game Benin had to switch to the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast because they did not have a home venue up to the standard demanded by CAF.
Africa Cup of Nations: Bafana played their group matches in Agadir and Marrakech at the final in Morocco and after finishing second to Egypt in the first round, went through to the round of 16 where Cameroon beat them in Rabat.
World Cup: South Africa opened the tournament against co-hosts Mexico and a defensive approach by Broos proved folly as they looked listless in a 2-0 loss at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico. A fortunate penalty against the Czechs in Atlanta kept alive their hopes and then a win over South Korea in Monterrey put them into the next phase at a World Cup for the first time. But their tournament ended in the round of 32 when Canada scored near the end of the game at Los Angeles.