South Africa’s national football team, Bafana Bafana, will face Tanzania and Namibia in international friendlies this June, as confirmed by the South African Football Association (SAFA).
These matches, scheduled within the FIFA window allocated for friendlies in the CAF zone, come ahead of the resumption of 2026 World Cup qualifiers in September and October.
They also precede the start of the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins in June in the United States and will feature South African side Mamelodi Sundowns.
Bafana Bafana will host Tanzania on 6 June, followed by a clash with Namibia on 10 June. While venues for the fixtures are yet to be finalised, reports from Sportswire suggest that at least one of the matches could be played at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium, with discussions still ongoing between relevant stakeholders.
National team head coach Hugo Broos has already stated that Mamelodi Sundowns players will not be selected for the June friendlies.
Speaking during the March international break, Broos emphasised that those players should focus solely on their Club World Cup preparations.
Sundowns are set to represent South Africa on the global stage and will require their full squad available ahead of the demanding tournament in the United States.
With a busy few months ahead, these June fixtures offer Broos a crucial opportunity to test alternative squad options and assess depth within the national team setup.
South Africa currently tops its World Cup qualifying group and will resume competitive action in September, beginning with an away match against Lesotho on 5 September. Just four days later, Bafana Bafana will welcome Nigeria in what promises to be a pivotal encounter.
Two further qualifiers are scheduled for October. On 10 October, South Africa will face Zimbabwe, with the match relocated to Rwanda due to Zimbabwe’s stadium ban.
Their next fixture, on 14 October, will see them return home to host Rwanda. The bans imposed on Zimbabwe and Lesotho by CAF and FIFA for failing to meet stadium requirements have led to both teams using South African venues for their home matches.
Looking further ahead, SAFA has pencilled in another friendly match for 15 November, although the opponent has yet to be confirmed.
This encounter is expected to serve as a final tune-up before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Bafana Bafana’s AFCON campaign will kick off in Morocco on 22 December, with Angola providing the first test in the group stage.
South Africa will then meet continental heavyweights Egypt on 26 December, before concluding the group phase against regional rivals Zimbabwe on 29 December.
Progression to the knockout stages will depend on strong performances across those three fixtures.
With the next six months packed with high-stakes matches and tournament preparation, SAFA’s planning reflects a desire to maintain momentum following a promising start to the World Cup qualification cycle.
The June friendlies mark the beginning of a critical stretch that could shape Bafana Bafana’s international prospects well into 2025.
