Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana return to begin at Orlando Stadium

South Africa will open their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Guinea at Orlando Stadium, providing the venue for Pitso Mosimane’s first match since returning for a second spell as Bafana Bafana coach.

The National Elephants will visit Johannesburg on 26 September, when South Africa begin their bid to reach the tournament that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania under the Pamoja arrangement.

The fixture will mark the start of a new era for Bafana Bafana under Mosimane, who is expected to name his goalkeeper and potentially appoint a second assistant coach before the qualifying matches begin.

The South African Football Association (Safa) has urged supporters, including families, to attend the match in large numbers and back the team at Orlando Stadium.

“We encourage families and fans to come in their numbers to support the team as we begin this new era under coach Pitso Mosimane,” said Safa president Danny Jordaan.

South Africa’s opening qualifier will be followed a few days later by an away game against Eritrea. That match will not be played in Eritrea, with the country having moved its home fixture to Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo.

Bafana Bafana will remain in Egypt after the Eritrea match for an international friendly against the Pharaohs. The game is scheduled to take place at Cairo International Stadium on 4 October.

The sequence of matches means Mosimane’s second stint in charge will begin with a competitive fixture before South Africa face Eritrea and then complete the period with a friendly against Egypt.

The meeting with Guinea at Orlando Stadium is therefore the first opportunity for the new-look coaching set-up to begin the qualifying campaign in front of home supporters. South Africa’s early schedule combines two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with a friendly against the host nation in Cairo.

Guinea are the first opponents in a qualifying programme leading to the tournament in East Africa. Eritrea’s decision to stage their home match in Egypt means South Africa will then travel to Cairo rather than Eritrea for the second qualifier.

The final match in the current schedule will be against Egypt on 4 October, although it will be a friendly rather than part of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying competition.

Mosimane is expected to confirm his goalkeeping choice before the two qualifiers, while the possibility of a further addition to his coaching staff also remains open. His appointment has made the Orlando Stadium fixture the first significant date of his return to the Bafana Bafana dugout.