Egypt v South Africa: Pharaons backed at 1.72 for October friendly

Egypt and South Africa meet in Cairo on 4 October 2026 at 18:00 GMT, with both sides using the friendly to assess their preparation, test tactical options and build understanding ahead of future international fixtures.

The match will be analysed by Mahamad Sangare, presenter of the sports debate programme La VAR on Burkina info TV.

Form and context

Egypt will look to use home advantage to control the tempo, improve their attacking efficiency and strengthen their defensive organisation. South Africa arrive with confidence after winning their opening two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, beating Guinea 2-1 and Eritrea 5-0.

Although no points are at stake, the game provides an important test for the Bafana Bafana against an experienced continental side. Egypt’s last meeting with South Africa came at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, when the Pharaons won 1-0.

Egypt beat South Sudan 5-0 on 29 September, following a 0-0 draw with Angola on 25 September in their opening qualifier. Their last five matches have produced two wins, two draws and one defeat: victories against New Zealand (3-1) and South Sudan (5-0), draws with Australia (1-1) and Iran (1-1), and a 3-2 loss to Argentina.

South Africa beat Guinea 2-1 on 26 September and followed that with a 5-0 victory over Eritrea on 30 September. Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice, while Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh were also on target. Across their previous five matches, South Africa have recorded two wins, one draw and two defeats, including a 1-0 victory over South Korea at the 2026 World Cup, a 1-1 draw with Czechia and a 0-1 defeat by Canada.

Players and absences

Omar Marmoush scored twice against South Sudan and will be one of Egypt’s main attacking threats, with his pace, movement and finishing likely to test the South African defence. Hamza Abdelkarim also scored on his international debut in that match and could earn further opportunities.

Egypt may be without attacking midfielder Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy and centre-back Yasser Ibrahim because of medical problems. Mohamed Abdelmonem continues to recover from a serious knee injury. Mohamed Salah was rested against South Sudan, partly as a precaution because of the synthetic pitch, and his involvement remains to be confirmed.

For South Africa, Mofokeng’s two-goal display against Eritrea highlighted his speed, dribbling and attacking threat. Rayners also scored and could be important in the penalty area because of his movement and positioning.

Teboho Mokoena injured himself against Guinea, while Bathusi Aubaas was hurt during the first half against Eritrea. Both are expected to miss the match. Aubrey Modiba and Nkosinathi Sibisi have also experienced fitness problems, with their availability dependent on their condition and the technical staff’s decisions.

Head-to-head record and betting

The teams have met 15 times before 4 October 2026. South Africa lead with eight victories to Egypt’s five, while two matches have ended level. Egypt won their Africa Cup of Nations meetings in 1996 and 1998, but South Africa eliminated the Pharaons in the 2019 last 16 with a 1-0 win. Egypt gained revenge with a 1-0 victory at the 2025 tournament.

Listed betting options include Egypt to win at 1,723, both teams to score at 2,15, more than 1.5 goals at 1,37, a 3-1 exact score at 14, and Egypt to win at least one half at 1,4.

The expert selections are an Egypt win at 1,723, under 3.5 goals at 1,20, more than 7.5 corners at 1,42 and a 2-1 correct score at 8. The corners prediction is based on an average of about 8.8 in a previous meeting, while the goals markets reflect the sides’ recent 5-0 wins and the 1-0 result in their latest encounter. The odds may change.