Former Bafana Bafana defender Matthew Booth believes South Africa’s quality will face a reality check at the 2025 AFCON finals, serving as a gauge of their readiness for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Hugo Broos guided Bafana to qualification for the quadrennial global football showpiece to be co-hosted by the USA/Canada and Mexico. It is the first time they will grace this tournament since hosting it in 2010.
They had last qualified for the World Cup in 2002 and Broos has now achieved what many coaches were struggling to attain while at the helm of the national side. But before heading to North America, AFCON awaits Bafana who are in Group B together with record African champions Egypt, Zimbabwe and Angola.
After claiming a bronze medal at the last AFCON edition, Bafana are now expected to reach the final of this competition to be staged in Morocco.
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That pressure to at least get into the final will put to test Broos’ men if they are ready for the World Cup. They will be out to avoid a potential upset in Morocco which might be morale-sapping heading to the big stage.
“I think coach Hugo has shaped the team very nicely until today. It will certainly help to have a continental tournament as a warm-up, I suppose,” Booth told FARPost.
“Without sounding like it’s an unimportant tournament, it certainly is, especially leading to the World Cup. It will be good to see how they perform under pressure now because there is a certain amount of expectations due to their last performance.
“They have been a joy to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed their performances over the last couple of years, so hopefully they can go two steps better than the last time.”
It would be the first time for Broos to coach at the World Cup after featuring at the global tournament as a player for Belgium in 1986.
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