“A Golden Generation”: Data Science And Bench Depth Driving South Africa’s Bafana Future
South Africa U23 assistant coach Karabo Mogudi believes the current generation has enough talent and depth to form the core of Bafana Bafana for many years to come.
Mogudi was speaking after South Africa U23 secured a 3-1 victory over Algeria in an international friendly at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
The assistant coach believes the quality within the U23 setup, combined with the work being done by the scouting and technical teams, gives South Africa plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future.
“As I mentioned with our scouting and our database, we have data scientists who mine this data for us and show us who the best performers in the league are,” he said.
“When I mention players who were previously with the national teams and the continuity, that is already a database on its own. That is top, top, top talent that we have at our disposal.
“If you look at some of the shining lights that we have, like Nhlanhla Gasa, who probably had not played many junior football matches until today, he comes in and shines.
“Credit to the guys doing the scouting work and to the technical team for watching a lot of games. We cannot watch enough, but we try.
“There is quite a lot of depth. If I show you some of the players who are not here because they are injured or could not come due to certain reasons, you’ll immediately see how much depth is still out there.
“I can mention a lot of guys who are not here, like Lazola Maku. You’ll immediately think about how much depth is still out there that is not here.
“I think we, as South Africa, have a golden generation that will take us forward for many, many years.
“I see these guys in the next four or five years featuring mainly for Bafana Bafana.”
Mogudi’s comments come at a time when current Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has also highlighted the importance of looking towards the U20 and U23 national teams as South Africa seeks to balance experience with youth.
The previous U23 squad that assembled three years ago has already produced several players who have gone on to become part of the senior national team.
Oswin Appollis, Olwethu Makhanya, Thapelo Maseko and Yanela Mbuthuma are now with Bafana Bafana, with three of them featuring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The late Jayden Adams was also part of that group and represented South Africa at the World Cup.
With the current U23 squad showing promising depth, Mogudi has warned the players that their strong performance against Algeria cannot lead to complacency.
“It’s going to be tough because of this 3-1 win. We are now going to work a lot on consistency and making sure that they are not complacent, because sometimes complacency can creep in,” he added.
“We have to rotate. Maybe those who did not start will start on Sunday, and so forth. It’s important that everyone gets minutes. Our goalkeepers also need minutes.
“Everyone must get minutes, and I know everyone is hungry to start. That’s how you build hunger.
“All of a sudden, there is competition for places. That same depth we spoke about makes people hungry to play the next game.
“I think the guys will still do well. They will perform at their peak, at the highest level possible.”
South Africa will face Algeria again in another international friendly in Bloemfontein on Sunday, with Mogudi expecting the players who come into the starting XI to use the opportunity to strengthen the competition for places.
