Pitso Mosimane returns to Bafana Bafana with redemption and 2030 World Cup ambition

Pitso Mosimane has returned to lead South Africa almost 14 years after being dismissed by the South African Football Association (SAFA), taking charge of Bafana Bafana with the chance to rewrite the story of his first spell.

The 62-year-old was officially unveiled at SAFA House on Tuesday, having previously managed the national team between 2010 and 2012. That tenure ended after a disappointing defeat by Sierra Leone in Mbombela was followed eight months later by a draw against Ethiopia.

Mosimane’s record across 23 matches was nine wins, 10 draws and four defeats, giving him a 39.1% win rate. His departure damaged his public standing, but he now returns with a career transformed by success at club and continental level.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly coach could have pursued lucrative opportunities in North Africa, the Gulf or Asia. Instead, he chose to take on the national job again, insisting he is motivated by the challenge of making South Africa a sustainable force in international football rather than by money, security or personal validation.

Mosimane’s club achievements include leading Mamelodi Sundowns to domestic dominance before winning the continental title in 2016. At Al Ahly, he secured consecutive CAF Champions League triumphs in 2020 and 2021, reached three successive continental finals and won two FIFA Club World Cup bronze medals.

He also had spells in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, experiences which widened his knowledge of football structures and high-pressure environments around the world.

The coach highlighted the contrast between the man who was dismissed in 2012 and the manager now returning to the national setup. During his first spell, he had not won a domestic cup competition. He now has 21 major medals and has been involved in four FIFA World Cups at club and international level.

Mosimane also recalled a warning he gave SAFA as his first tenure approached its end.

“We don’t want to accept that the world is catching up with us… We need to accept reality.”

He subsequently spent the next decade and a half confronting that reality, building his reputation across Africa and internationally while working under intense scrutiny.

His immediate challenge is the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. South Africa are in a three-team group with Guinea, Eritrea and co-hosts Kenya, who qualify automatically. That means only one team from the group will progress, leaving little room for error.

The longer-term objective is even greater: guiding Bafana Bafana through the expanded qualification process for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be staged across Morocco, Portugal, Spain and South America.

Mosimane takes over a squad which, according to the article, was strengthened during Hugo Broos’ five years in charge. Broos left after guiding South Africa to a bronze medal at AFCON 2023 in Cote d’Ivoire and taking them to the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup in North America.

His task is now to build on that progress by pursuing trophies and securing regular World Cup qualification.

Mosimane has made it clear that he does not intend to dismantle the current team. He pointed to the quality already available, including goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, midfielder Teboho Mokoena and emerging players such as Relebohile Mofokeng, Sphephelo Sithole and Mbekezeli Mbokazi.

He will, however, bring in his own technical staff after deciding not to retain the interim assistants. Mosimane defended that decision by pointing to the way elite managers operate, citing Carlo Ancelotti’s success alongside his son and arguing that football ultimately judges results rather than the make-up of a coaching bench.

Public criticism, he says, is a source of motivation.

Mosimane’s appointment has nevertheless exposed the tension that continues to surround SAFA. The organisation remains under pressure over government-ringfenced development grants, unspent VAR funding and structural delays that have attracted significant scrutiny from ministers.

That administrative uncertainty mirrors the concerns Mosimane raised 14 years ago, when he warned that the rest of the football world was advancing while South Africa risked falling behind. His challenge now is to create a modern, high-performance environment for the team despite the disruption around the national association.

There is also a strong historical argument for giving a national team to a coach from that country. Every manager to win the FIFA World Cup since the tournament began in 1930 has been a domestic coach, while only two foreign managers have reached a World Cup final.

That does not mean South Africa are ready to compete for the World Cup itself, but Mosimane’s familiarity with the country’s football identity and sporting culture is seen as an important advantage.

He understands the national setup from personal experience. Mosimane won four caps for South Africa and scored on his international debut against Gabon in 1993. He has since managed at the highest levels of African and global football.

His return has prompted scepticism on social media, with some supporters revisiting the failure of his first spell and questioning whether South Africa should return to a previous appointment. But Mosimane believes his record over the past decade and a half has earned him the opportunity.

The short-term verdict will be determined by results, starting with the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign. The broader measure of his second tenure will be whether he can turn Bafana Bafana into a consistent international power and leave South African football fundamentally stronger than he found it.