Egypt close to agreeing South Africa friendly at Cairo Stadium

The Egyptian Football Association is putting the final details in place for a friendly between Egypt and South Africa on 4 October at Cairo Stadium.

Talks between the two football associations are understood to have advanced after South Africa agreed to remain in Egypt following their scheduled meeting with Eritrea. The South African side is expected to face Eritrea in Cairo on either 29 or 30 September, before playing Egypt five days later.

South Africa are managed by former Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane. The Egyptian Football Association approached its South African counterpart to take advantage of the team’s presence in Cairo.

Eritrea have chosen Egypt as the venue for all of their qualification matches for the Africa Cup of Nations. That decision created an opportunity for Egypt and South Africa to arrange a friendly while the visiting squad is already in the country.

South Africa have agreed in principle to stay in Egypt until 4 October for the proposed match against the Pharaohs, although the final arrangements are still being completed.

Egypt, managed by Hossam Hassan, are preparing to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with two Group B fixtures in September.

They will host Angola at 22:00 on 25 September at Cairo Stadium in their opening qualifier. Egypt will then travel to Juba to face South Sudan on 29 September, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00 Cairo time.

The group also includes Malawi, alongside Egypt, Angola and South Sudan.

The proposed South Africa fixture would give Hassan’s side another opportunity to prepare for the next stage of their international programme. It would also allow Egypt to test themselves against a side whose visit to the country was originally linked to Eritrea’s decision to host their qualifiers there.

Before the October meeting, the Egyptian Football Association is also exploring the possibility of arranging another friendly in September. Potential opponents under consideration are Tanzania, Ghana or Rwanda.

The Egypt-South Africa match has not yet been formally confirmed, but only final details are believed to remain before the agreement is completed. If the plans are concluded, the game will take place at Cairo Stadium on 4 October, shortly after both nations’ scheduled competitive fixtures.