Bafana Bafana face four-match test in bid to reach 2027 AFCON

South Africa have made a perfect start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, but the route to the tournament remains demanding with four fixtures still to play.

Pitso Mosimane’s side lead Group D after taking six points from their opening two matches. They began with a 2-1 win against Guinea at the Orlando Arena before producing a dominant display to beat Eritrea 5-0 in Cairo on Wednesday.

The results have put Bafana Bafana in a strong early position, although their remaining schedule includes two consecutive meetings with co-hosts Kenya.

South Africa will travel to face Kenya on 13 November 2026, before the teams meet again in the return fixture on Tuesday, 17 November 2026.

The qualifying campaign will conclude in March 2027. Bafana Bafana are due to visit Guinea on Friday, 26 March 2027, and will host Eritrea four days later on Tuesday, 30 March 2027.

South Africa are the highest-ranked team in Group D, sitting 49th in the FIFA rankings. Guinea are ranked 80th, Kenya 111th and Eritrea 184th.

Why Kenya’s presence changes the equation

Ordinarily, the top two teams in a qualifying group advance to the Africa Cup of Nations. However, Kenya’s status as one of the tournament’s co-hosts means they have already secured automatic qualification.

That leaves South Africa needing to finish as the highest-ranked team among the other sides in Group D to claim the group’s single remaining automatic place.

Mosimane’s team must therefore maintain their excellent start and avoid dropping points in the four matches still to come.

The tournament, officially known as the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, will be staged across East Africa in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It will run from 19 June to 17 July 2027 and will be the first edition of the competition to be co-hosted by three nations.

Before their qualification campaign resumes, South Africa will turn their attention to an international friendly against Egypt on Sunday, 4 October 2026.

That match will provide Bafana Bafana with their next opportunity to test themselves before the decisive Group D fixtures begin in November.