Egypt vs Bafana Bafana: Friendly Kick-Off Time, TV Channel & Team News

📰 Sports News

Published 3 October 2026.

Egypt vs Bafana Bafana is the last match of South Africa’s three-game camp in Cairo, an international friendly at Cairo International Stadium on Sunday, 4 October 2026, with kick-off at 20:00 SAST. Pitso Mosimane’s side arrive with two wins from two in AFCON 2027 qualifying, and the coach has said he will make wholesale changes to get a look at more of his squad. Egypt will be without Mohamed Salah.

Egypt vs Bafana Bafana: Match Details

How to Watch Egypt vs Bafana Bafana

SABC Sport is listed as the TV broadcaster for the friendly, with radio coverage on SABC stations and streaming on SABC Plus, according to Briefly News and other South African match previews.

Team News

Bafana Bafana

Midfield is the main concern. Teboho Mokoena was injured late in the win over Guinea, and Bathusi Aubaas went off after only 12 minutes against Eritrea, so both miss the friendly. Brooklyn Poggenpoel of Durban City stepped in against Eritrea to make his national team debut and is one of the midfielders who could now get more minutes, according to The Citizen.

Reports on Mosimane’s plans name goalkeepers Sipho Chaine and Ricardo Goss, plus Fawaaz Basadien, Khulumani Ndamane, Shandre Campbell, Puso Dithejane, Tashreeq Matthews and Cassius Mailula, among those expected to feature. That is not a confirmed lineup, so check team news before kick-off. Matthews, who was recently called up, is on our list of the most valuable South African players.

Egypt

Salah will not play. He is reported to have agreed with Egypt’s staff to skip the match, even though coach Hossam Hassan had earlier suggested he would rejoin the squad. Defender Mohamed Abdelmonem has also been reported as unavailable. Omar Marmoush is in the squad.

What to Expect

Expect a lot of rotation from Bafana. Mosimane has said he wants to use the friendly to see players who have not featured yet, and he has pointed out that no more friendlies are planned before AFCON 2027, so this is the last chance to look at them in a match before the tournament.

The coach is on his third stint with Bafana and previously coached Al Ahly, so he knows Egyptian football well. SAFA president Danny Jordaan has described games against Egypt as traditionally difficult, but Egypt are also missing their biggest name.

Bafana will carry some confidence into the game. Two of the players on our most valuable list, Ime Okon and Samukele Kabini, scored in the win over Guinea, and Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice against Eritrea.

Recent Form

South Africa have won both of their AFCON 2027 qualifiers so far. Qualifying resumes with Matchdays 3 and 4 between 9 and 17 November 2026. See our AFCON 2027 qualifiers guide for the fixture list and how qualification works.

Egypt drew with Angola and beat South Sudan 5-0 in their first two qualifiers, the second without Salah.

Head to Head

• Overall record: in 15 meetings since 1995, South Africa have won eight, Egypt five and two have been drawn, according to EWN.
• Last meeting: Egypt won 1-0 in their AFCON 2025 group match on 26 December 2025, thanks to a Salah penalty.
• In Cairo: Bafana beat Egypt 1-0 at this same stadium in the 2019 AFCON round of 16.

Betting on a Friendly

Friendlies are harder to read than competitive matches. Both coaches can change most of the team at half time, and lineups often only become clear about an hour before kick-off, so check team news before placing a bet. We have not quoted any odds here because prices move constantly. Only bet with operators listed on the National Gambling Board’s Verified Operators Register, and compare a few before you do. Our best sports betting sites in South Africa hub is a good place to start.