South Africa face Eritrea in crucial AFCON 2027 qualifier

Pitso Mosimane’s South Africa side must maintain their winning start to the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign when they face Eritrea on Wednesday.

Bafana Bafana opened Group D with a 2-1 victory over Guinea at Orlando Stadium, while Eritrea drew 1-1 with Kenya. Those results left South Africa top of the group after the opening round, but the unusual qualification format means there is little scope for complacency.

Kenya are among the three co-hosts of AFCON 2027, alongside Tanzania and Uganda, and have already secured their place at the tournament. Although they will continue to play in the qualifying group, only one of South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea can claim the remaining qualification spot from Group D.

That makes South Africa’s opening victory particularly significant. Guinea are one of Bafana’s main rivals for qualification, and beating them at home gave Mosimane’s team an early advantage.

However, the result has not removed the pressure. South Africa still have to play Kenya and Guinea again, with the return match in Guinea likely to be especially important after such a closely contested first meeting.

A 2-1 home win is a positive beginning, but it leaves Bafana with little room for dropped points elsewhere. If Guinea continue to collect results while South Africa stumble, the value of that opening victory could be reduced as the group develops.

Mosimane was keen to prevent his players from becoming overconfident after the win. He stressed that South Africa had made a good start but remained at the beginning of a long campaign.

“Good start; let’s keep our feet on the ground. We don’t have to be too excited; it is only the first game. We played well. We are a good team, but there is still a long way to go,” he said at a press conference.

The fixture against Eritrea should therefore be viewed as more than a match South Africa are simply expected to win. Another three points would strengthen their position and ensure they continue to build an advantage over the teams competing for the single available qualification place.

CAF’s assessment of Group D has also underlined the importance of the contest between South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea, with only the highest-placed team outside automatically qualified Kenya progressing to the tournament.

For Bafana, the route forward is clear: win the matches they are expected to win, make the most of their direct encounters with their leading rivals and avoid allowing the gap at the top to close.

Victory over Guinea was an important first step. The challenge now is to follow it with another result against Eritrea.