South Africa trainer Hugo Broos targets knockout stages but sees Egypt as group favourites
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has acknowledged that Egypt will be the team to beat in Group B at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, but remains optimistic about Bafana Bafana’s chances of progressing to the knockout rounds.
Drawn alongside Egypt, Zimbabwe, and Angola, South Africa—who secured third place at TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2023—are aiming to build on their recent success and challenge for their first continental title since 1996.
Speaking after the AFCON 2025 draw in Rabat on Monday, Broos expressed confidence in his squad while recognizing the difficulty of the task ahead.
Broos was quick to highlight Egypt’s pedigree and recent resurgence as key factors in the Pharaohs’ status as Group B favorites.
“On paper, Egypt is the biggest threat to us in the group,” Broos admitted.
“They did not perform well in the last edition and were eliminated early, but over the past year, they have built a strong team and performed brilliantly in the qualifiers. They will be the team we must beat if we want to top the group.”
Egypt, the seven-time AFCON champions, endured a disappointing TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2023 campaign, exiting in the Round of 16.
However, under Hossam Hassan, they are rebuilding with a formidable squad led by Mohamed Salah.
While Egypt remains the biggest hurdle, Broos pointed out that South Africa will not underestimate Zimbabwe or Angola.
“We also have Zimbabwe, and this is the fourth time we will play against them,” he said.
“We faced them in World Cup qualifiers and previous AFCON qualifiers, but they were disqualified and the match didn’t take place. We will play them again in the World Cup qualifiers, so we know our neighbours well, and these matches are always tough. But beating them is very possible.”
Zimbabwe, returning to AFCON after missing the 2023 edition, will be eager to make an impact, while Angola, a team Broos admitted he does not know well, will require thorough analysis.
“For me, Angola is a team that I don’t know well,” he said. “So it’s important to study them and prepare well for the match.”
South Africa enter TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025 with renewed confidence after finishing third at the last edition in Côte d’Ivoire, a campaign that ended with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over DR Congo in the third-place playoff.
Broos believes that experience will be valuable heading into the tournament in Morocco.
“In general, I am happy with the draw,” he said.
“The group is not very easy, but on the other hand, we have a great chance of qualifying for the next round. At AFCON, anything is possible in the knockout stages, and we will do everything to have a better tournament than the last one.”
With AFCON 2025 set to kick off on December 21, South Africa will look to make another deep run, and Broos is confident his squad can rise to the occasion.