Pitso Mosimane confirmed as new Bafana Bafana head coach

Pitso Mosimane has been confirmed as the new Bafana Bafana head coach after reaching an agreement with the South African Football Association (SAFA) following several weeks of negotiations.

The appointment was announced at a press conference at SAFA’s headquarters in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, on Tuesday morning.

Mosimane succeeds Belgian coach Hugo Broos, who led South Africa’s national team for five years before leaving the position after the FIFA World Cup a couple of months ago.

The appointment marks a return to the role for Mosimane, who previously managed Bafana Bafana between 2010 and 2012. He initially took charge after the departure of Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Mosimane is widely regarded as one of the finest coaches African football has produced. He has won the CAF Champions League three times and returns to the national team with significant experience at the highest level of the continental game.

His second spell will begin with South Africa’s qualification campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Bafana Bafana have been drawn in Group D alongside Guinea, Eritrea and tournament co-hosts Kenya. Kenya are already guaranteed a place at the tournament as one of the hosts, meaning the other three teams will compete for the group’s only remaining qualifying position.

That arrangement leaves Mosimane facing an immediate challenge as he begins his second tenure. South Africa must finish ahead of either Guinea or Eritrea to secure the available qualification place, while Kenya will not be competing for that spot.

The new coach therefore takes over with a clear objective from the start of his return: guide Bafana Bafana through a group in which only one of the three non-host nations can qualify.

Mosimane’s reappointment brings back a coach who has already managed the national side and who arrives with a considerable record in club football. His previous national-team spell lasted from 2010 to 2012, and he now returns after Broos’ five-year period in charge came to an end following the FIFA World Cup.

The change in leadership follows a period of negotiations between Mosimane and SAFA before the two sides finalised their agreement.

The announcement at the association’s Nasrec headquarters formally confirms Mosimane as the successor to Broos and begins a new chapter for the national team.

His first major assignment will be to prepare Bafana Bafana for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures, with the pressure of qualification coming immediately as South Africa attempt to claim the single available place from Group D.