South Africa will only discover the identity of their next Africa Cup of Nations opponents once the final round of Group F matches is completed late on Wednesday night. As things stand, Bafana Bafana could be paired with defending champions Ivory Coast, five-time winners Cameroon, or regional rivals Mozambique.
Having finished second in Group B, secured by a tense 3–2 victory over Zimbabwe in Marrakech on Monday, South Africa are set for a Round of 16 showdown in Rabat at the Stade Madina. Their opponents will be the runners-up from Group F, a group that remains delicately poised heading into its final fixtures on New Year’s Eve.
After two matches each, Ivory Coast and Cameroon are locked at the top of Group F on four points, with identical goal difference and goals scored. Mozambique remain firmly in contention on three points after recording a historic first-ever AFCON finals win, edging Gabon 3–2 on Sunday.
Gabon, meanwhile, are already eliminated after back-to-back defeats. Even so, they will be desperate to end their campaign with pride when they face Ivory Coast, despite being without star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has returned to his French club for treatment on a thigh injury. In the other decisive Group F clash, Cameroon meet Mozambique in Agadir, with the Mambas knowing only victory will keep alive their hopes of finishing second and setting up a southern African derby with Bafana Bafana.
While qualification has been achieved, South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has sounded a note of caution about his side’s performances so far in Morocco. The Belgian tactician is troubled by what he sees as a recurring inability to manage key moments and dominate when Bafana are on top.
In the opening 2–1 win over Angola in Marrakesh, South Africa scored early but failed to capitalise, allowing the Palancas Negras back into the contest. Similar patterns emerged in the narrow 1–0 loss to a 10-man Egypt side in Agadir, and again in Monday’s dramatic win over Zimbabwe, where Bafana twice surrendered the initiative after taking the lead.
Broos was particularly unhappy that Zimbabwe were allowed back into the game on multiple occasions, even enjoying spells where they dictated play.
“This is something that really worries me,” Broos admitted. “It happened against Angola and again here. Even in the first half against Egypt, we were soft. We were not aggressive enough in duels and lacked determination.
“We started very well in the first 20 minutes against Zimbabwe, with aggression, but then we stopped. When you do that, you give the opponent belief and the chance to come back into the match.”
Broos on Alert as Bafana Eye Heavyweights in AFCON Last-16
With a heavyweight opponent looming in the knockout stages, Broos was blunt in his assessment of what must change.
“It will be either Ivory Coast or Cameroon next, and if we play like this, we have no chance,” he said. “Against teams of that level, you must be strong, aggressive and focused for the full game. If not, the tournament will be finished very quickly for us.”
Hugo Broos
The coach also raised concerns about individual performances, noting that several players have yet to reach the level demanded by the competition. Tournament debutant Sipho Mbule has struggled to impose himself as a playmaker, while experienced midfielder Teboho Mokoena has not consistently reproduced the form that helped South Africa claim bronze at the previous AFCON.
“I am not happy with the way some players are performing and behaving on the pitch,” Broos said. “This has been there since the start of the tournament, and it’s something we must fix.
“The progress we made over the last two or three years does not mean you just arrive and win games. I said before the tournament this AFCON would be tougher than the last one, because now everyone knows South Africa are a good team. Opponents come with a different mindset – they want to beat you.”
Despite the concerns, there have been positives. Striker Lyle Foster has emerged as a key figure, scoring his second goal in three matches against Zimbabwe and underlining his value heading into the knockout rounds.
Broos believes Foster can be even more effective if the team functions better around him.
“A striker always needs support,” he explained. “When there is movement and good passing around him, Lyle can take advantage because he is strong, quick and intelligent. He knows where to be.
“When we played well, he scored. When our level dropped, it became very difficult for him. That is something we have to improve – better passes, better focus, better ball circulation and movement.”
South Africa finished Group B on six points, behind Egypt who topped the group on seven after a goalless draw with Angola. While the results have been enough to progress, Broos insists standards must rise sharply if Bafana are to go deeper into the tournament.
“We have to play every game with 100% of our talent and quality,” he said. “Teams are not afraid of us – they are motivated to beat us. That means we have to fight more, concentrate more and stay focused for 90 minutes.
“If we understand that mentality, we can go far. If we don’t, this AFCON will end very quickly for us.”