Jordaan Welcomes Bafana vs Egypt Friendly Match
South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan has welcomed the decision to face Egypt following Bafana Bafana’s two Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Bafana Bafana will face Egypt in an international friendly at Cairo International Stadium on 4 October.
Newly appointed coach Pitso Mosimane will take his place on the bench for the first time when Bafana Bafana begin their AFCON campaign against Guinea in a home qualifier on Saturday, 26 September.
They will then travel to face Eritrea away on Wednesday, 30 September, before rounding off their assignments on the road with the clash against the North Africans.
“Matches against Egypt are always tough, and we do not expect anything less in this latest instalment. I think that Coach Pitso’s return to Bafana Bafana will add another twist because they know him very well in the North African country. This will be another great test for both teams,” said SAFA president Dr Danny Jordaan.
News of the proposed meeting between Bafana Bafana and Egypt was greeted with excitement in the North African country, with the two nations having developed a long-running rivalry.
Their last meeting was not short of drama, with Bafana Bafana suffering a 1-0 defeat to a 10-man Egypt in an incident-filled AFCON Group B match in Morocco in December 2025.
Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot in the 45th minute to give Egypt the victory.
Referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana initially stopped play to consult the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) shortly before half-time over an incident that had occurred earlier in the match. He eventually pointed to the spot and awarded Egypt a penalty, which Salah converted to put the North Africans ahead.
Ndabihawenimana then sent off Mohamed Hany in the final minutes of the first half after the defender received a second yellow card for a tackle on Teboho Mokoena.
Bafana Bafana thought they had finally found a breakthrough when Ndabihawenimana once again stopped play to consult VAR after defender Yasser Ibrahim appeared to have handled the ball inside the penalty area. However, after reviewing the incident, the referee decided not to award a penalty.
Mosimane himself is no stranger to Egypt, having led Al Ahly to two CAF Champions League titles during his time in charge of the Egyptian giants.
The newly appointed Bafana Bafana coach is expected to announce a preliminary squad for the AFCON qualifiers before the end of the week.
