Bafana Bafana vs Guinea: AFCON 2027 Qualifier Preview, Kick-Off Time & Where to Watch

🇿🇦 Bafana Bafana

Published 23 September 2026. Updated 29 September 2026.

Bafana Bafana vs Guinea kicks off South Africa’s AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at Orlando Stadium in Soweto. It’s also Pitso Mosimane’s first competitive match since returning as head coach, and the opener of a tight three-way fight with Guinea and Eritrea for the single non-host qualification spot in Group D.

Match Details

A note on kick-off time: CAF’s general Matchday 1 press release lists this fixture at 16h00 GMT (18:00 SAST). More specific South African reporting, describing the move to Orlando Stadium, has the kick-off at 15:00 SAST — we’ve used that time above and recommend a final check with SAFA or your ticket confirmation closer to match day.

Mosimane’s Return: A New Bafana Era

Pitso Mosimane returns to the Bafana Bafana job for the first time since his 2010-2012 spell in charge, taking over from Belgian coach Hugo Broos. Broos leaves having guided South Africa to third place at the 2023 AFCON and to the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in the country’s history, before an exit to Canada. Mosimane arrives with CAF Champions League pedigree, having won the title once with Mamelodi Sundowns and twice with Egypt’s Al Ahly, making his side’s later trip to Cairo to face Eritrea something of a return to familiar ground.

Group D Explained

Group D is unusual because co-hosts Kenya are already qualified for the AFCON PAMOJA 2027 finals regardless of results. That means only the best-placed team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea will join Kenya at the finals, turning every point in this group into a straight shootout between the three chasing nations.

Squad News

Mosimane named his 30-man squad on 17 September 2026 for his first matches back in charge, drawing on players from Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs alongside South Africa’s Europe-based contingent.

The Guinea Threat

Guinea travel with genuine attacking quality, led by Borussia Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy, one of the most prolific strikers in Europe over the past two seasons. Coach Paulo Duarte has also recalled Ilaix Moriba, giving the Syli National a squad with real Bundesliga and La Liga experience to call on in Soweto.

How to Watch

SAFA had not confirmed the South African broadcaster for this window at the time of writing. SABC held the rights for the previous AFCON qualifying cycle and has typically carried Bafana Bafana matches on SABC 3, SABC+ and SABCSport.com; we’ll update this once official confirmation lands. Fans attending in person can buy tickets through Ticketpro, priced at R100 for adults and R40 for children under 12.

Betting Preview

South Africa’s home advantage and Guinea’s attacking threat both feed into the same match-result and both-teams-to-score markets, with Guirassy the obvious focal point for Guinea. Beyond the standard 1X2 line, expect South African bookmakers to list markets on both teams to score, total goals, first goalscorer and double chance. As with any AFCON qualifier featuring a co-host group, it’s also worth checking the Group D outright qualification market, since Kenya’s automatic spot makes this effectively a straight fight between South Africa and Guinea on paper, with Eritrea the outsider. We haven’t quoted specific prices here as odds shift constantly in the run-up to kick-off.

Compare live odds and welcome offers on Bafana Bafana’s opener across SA-licensed operators via our best sports betting sites in South Africa hub.

Rest of the September Window

After Guinea, Bafana Bafana travel to Cairo to face Eritrea on Wednesday, 30 September, in their second Group D qualifier, before rounding off the window with a friendly against Egypt in Cairo on Sunday, 4 October. Both Cairo fixtures double as a homecoming of sorts for Mosimane given his history with Al Ahly.