Bafana Bafana defender Ime Okon has weighed in on the international friendly encounter between South Africa and Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium.
Pitso Mosimane’s troops will lock horns with the Pharaohs on Sunday, 4 October 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00 Cairo time [20:00 SAST].
The fixture marks the 16th meeting between the two nations. Historically, Bafana hold the upper hand in this rivalry, having recorded eight victories to Egypt’s five, while two encounters ended in draws.
Ahead of the clash, coach Mosimane confirmed his intention to rotate the squad and afford match minutes to players who did not feature in the recent 2027 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] qualifiers.
Bafana head into the friendly on the back of consecutive qualifying victories, having defeated Guinea 2-1 at Soweto’s Orlando Amstel Arena before thrashing Eritrea 5-0 at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo last Wednesday.
Mosimane appealed to South African football supporters for patience and backing as he tests his depth against top-tier opposition.
“The challenge is we must let them swim with the sharks, but we’ve got nothing to lose. It is a friendly game, and we need to see what they are capable of at this level. So, we plead for patience and support for these youngsters.” said Mosimane.
Among those expected to feature are goalkeepers Sipho Chaine and Ricardo Goss, along with Thabang Matuludi, Fawaaz Basadien, Khulumani Ndamani, Shandre Campbell, Puso Dithejane, Tashreeq Matthews, Cassius Mailula among others.
IME OKON RELISH PHARAOHS CHALLENGE
Speaking ahead of the encounter, Okon believes that the high-profile international friendly against Egypt provides the national team with an ideal opportunity to test themselves against one of the continent’s powerhouse nations.
“Egypt is one of the biggest teams in Africa and as a player you always want to play the best teams, you always want to challenge yourself,” Okon told SAFA media.
“So I think the feeling within the team is of excitement, and we are very, very excited to play against them, test ourselves and also basically show what we are about. I think all the guys are really excited.”
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