South Africa vs Uganda | Friday 06 September | Orlando Stadium | 18:00
Bafana Bafana will continue their efforts to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they host Uganda in a must-win match on Friday at Orlando Stadium. Their impressive showing in AFCON this January where they earned a bronze medal having finished third has made them the team to watch as they have proven to not go down easily. South Africa is grouped with Uganda, Congo Republic and South Sudan in Group K.
The Uganda Cranes will be aiming to shock South Africa in front of their home fans in order to gain an early advantage and qualify for AFCON having failed to be part of the last AFCON edition in Ivory Coast.
To win (90 min)
South Africa 4/10
Draw 3/10
Uganda 7/1
South Africa
Hugo Broos assembled a strong squad for the upcoming two qualifiers with a few new faces including Stellenbosch FC left-back Fawaaz Basadien who has been wanted by a number of top teams following his impressive showings last season. Orlando Pirates’ Thalente Mbatha also earned his first national team call-up. Mbatha joined the Soweto giants in January on loan from SuperSport United and quickly became an important part of Jose Riverio’s set-up helping them to win the Nedbank Cup and was then rewarded with a permanent contract.
South Africa managed to collect four points in two gruelling matches in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup against Nigeria and Zimbabwe. They failed to protect their lead after scoring first but ended up being held to a 1-1 draw against Nigeria in a tough away fixture. Bafana then hosted Zimbabwe in a packed Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein where Iqraam Rayners scored in the first minute, but the goal was quickly cancelled by Tawanda Chirewa in the second minute. The first half ended in a 1-1 draw. Broos introduced speedy Thapelo Morena during the start of the second half. Morena executed his mandate perfectly when he scored a brace to ensure that his side bagged all three points.
Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has been side-lined due to injury and this has opened a spot for Pirates’ Sipho Chaine whose outstanding performance won him the Man of the Match award in the second leg of the MTN8 semi-final where they defeated Cape Town City to book a spot in the final. He will be competing for a place in the starting line-up against regulars Ricardo Goss and Veli Mothwa.
Burnley striker Lyle Foster who had been excluded from the Bafana set-up since last year in December after experiencing mental illness has been included in the squad and is expected to partner with Iqraam Rayners to provide goals for Bafana and collect maximum points.
Uganda
The Cranes are heading to this match at the back of a 2-1 loss against Algeria in a match where they shocked the visitors by scoring early thanks to Travis Mutyaba who netted in the 10th minute. They conceded two goals in the second half to lose all three points.
The team arrived on Saturday to prepare for the showdown but will be without defenders Kenneth Semakula and Halidi Lwaliwa due to visa issues. Allan Kyambadde, Moses Opondo, Uche Mubiru Ikpeazu and Isaac Ssewankambo were all confirmed to be left out of the squad due to injuries.
Goalkeepers Isima Watenga who plays for Lamontville Golden Arrows and Venda FC’s Charles Lukwago are the only South African-based players that were included in Paul Put’s set-up. It came as a shock when Richards Bay FC’s goalkeeper Salim Magoola was snubbed despite his consistent great performances for his club.
These two sides last clashed in an International Friendly match in June 2021 which ended in a five-goal-thriller with South Africa emerging victorious 3-2 thanks to goals from Evidence Makgopa who netted a brace and Bongokuhle Hlongwane.
Prediction: South Africa to win
Bafana looked to be continuing with their AFCON showing when they held the North African giants Algeria to a 3-3 draw in a friendly match, they followed that with a 1-1 draw against Nigeria who enjoyed a home-ground advantage. These outstanding performances have propelled the fans to come out in their numbers to rally behind the 1996 AFCON winners when they are playing at home and a packed Orlando Stadium is expected on Saturday.
Written by Siphesihle Soni