LIVE | Bafana Bafana vs Eritrea: AFCON 2027 qualifier

Bafana Bafana will look to make it back-to-back victories in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers when they face Eritrea in Cairo on Wednesday evening.

Kick-off is scheduled for 18:00 (SA time) at the Al-Salam Stadium.

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Eritrea are officially the home side, but the match is being played in Egypt because the country does not currently have a CAF-approved venue.

South Africa head into the clash with confidence after opening their Group D campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

Pitso Mosimane, back in charge of Bafana Bafana for a third spell, has urged his players not to underestimate their opponents.

Pitso Mosimane wary of Eritrea

Mosimane pointed to Eritrea’s opening result as evidence that Bafana Bafana cannot afford to take anything for granted.

Eritrea earned a 1-1 draw against Kenya in Nairobi, securing a valuable point in their first Group D fixture.

“I am happy with the result we got (in the first qualifier against Guinea), we got the result, and even the attitude was good,” Mosimane said.

“We need to show the same attitude against Eritrea because you can’t give respect to Guinea and not accord the same to an Eritrea side that just claimed a point away from home in Kenya.”

The result means Bafana Bafana will face an Eritrean side that has already shown it can frustrate opponents away from home.

Williams backs Pitso Mosimane’s approach

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams also stressed the importance of maintaining the positive atmosphere within the squad.

“The spirit and the energy amongst ourselves is always good and we have maintained that,” Williams said.

He added that the players had responded well to the changes introduced by Mosimane and pointed to the team’s tactical work in training.

“The guys have been open to all the changes that the coach has implemented and one way to see that is through the tactical agreements we had in the previous game, to see some of the things we worked on in training ahead of the game.”

Bafana chasing another crucial result

The Group D qualification picture carries additional significance because Kenya are automatically qualified as one of the three AFCON 2027 co-hosts.

That leaves South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea effectively competing for the remaining qualification place in the group.

A victory in Cairo would therefore give Mosimane’s side another important result at the beginning of their qualifying campaign.

For now, however, the message from the Bafana camp is clear: the focus is on reproducing the attitude that produced victory over Guinea and avoiding any complacency against an Eritrean side that already has a point on the board.