Bafana focus on winning AFCON opener to set tone

BAFANA Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele has stressed the importance of starting their AFCON campaign with a victory, saying that will set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

Bafana will return to the continental showpiece — to be held in Morocco from December 21 to January 18 — as dark horses, having been on an upward trajectory that includes qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

While Hugo Broos’ men and the rest of the nation share the belief that they should improve on their third-place finish from the last edition in Ivory Coast and aim to go all the way in Morocco, they remain grounded and cautious.

Bafana are planning to take it one game at a time, starting with their opening match against Angola on December 22, followed by Egypt on December 26 (Boxing Day), before concluding the group stage against arch-rivals Zimbabwe on December 29.

Having lost their opening group-stage match against Mali in the last edition — despite eventually finishing third — Mkhalele said they cannot afford to repeat that mistake this time around.