Group B wide open as South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe face AFCON 2025 challenges

Group B in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this month could be wide open following shake-ups in three nations — South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe — who are regarded as favourites to finish in the top two and reach the knockout stage.

Bafana Bafana’s challenges have been widely documented, with coach Hugo Broos coming under heavy scrutiny in recent days over accusations of racism and sexism.

This followed comments in which Broos suggested that defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi would have “changed the colour of his skin from black to white” out of fear after discussing his late arrival to camp. Broos was also alleged to have been sexist towards Mbokazi’s agent, Basia Michaels, referring to her as a “nice little lady who thinks she knows football” in conversations about the defender’s move to Chicago Fire next year.

Broos took responsibility for his words, issuing an apology while maintaining that he did not intend to be racist or sexist.

“I agree that my choice of words was not the right one, and I want to apologise for that,” the Belgian said, in a pre-match press conference ahead of their final home friendly against Ghana on Tuesday. “But I never, I repeat, never wanted to make a racist or sexist comment. I am neither a racist nor a sexist.”

The negative attention was far from ideal for the team, who needed to prepare under quieter and healthier conditions at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre over the past few days.

Bafana captain Ronwen Williams confirmed that camp had faced several disruptions, including the temporary unavailability of three overseas-based players.

Sphephelo Sithole (Portugal), Shandre Campbell (Belgium) and Lyle Foster (England) will join the squad in Morocco on Thursday, after their clubs complied with Fifa regulations requiring players to be released only five days before the tournament.

While such challenges are common among the 24 AFCON nations, additional factors could hinder teams from fielding their strongest sides during the group stage and throughout the tournament.

Egypt, the most successful nation in AFCON history with seven titles, will welcome back captain Mohamed Salah, who has been at odds with Liverpool and head coach Arne Slot.

Salah expressed frustration after a 3–3 draw with Leeds United, accusing Liverpool of failing to honour promises made before the start of the season amid ongoing contract negotiations. He also revealed a strained relationship with Slot, who had started him on the bench in three consecutive matches.

The 33-year-old returned to action on Saturday, coming on in the 26th minute and registering an assist to break the Premier League record for most goal contributions for a single club. Salah is now directly involved in 277 goals, surpassing retired England forward Wayne Rooney.

With Salah joining the Pharaohs for AFCON, it remains unclear whether he will return to Liverpool in January, although Slot has since confirmed he would welcome the forward back.

The spotlight will be on Salah in Morocco, with his character and form likely to be tested. He could use the tournament to rediscover his best form, return to Liverpool revitalised, or potentially secure a move elsewhere. Conversely, he could struggle and fail to guide Egypt to another continental title.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe will be without captain Marshall Munetsi. The midfielder was reportedly omitted from the final squad after his club, Wolves, failed to provide a critical document under the Fifa Club Protection Programme, which covers players’ needs in the event of injury or other issues during the tournament.

Munetsi stated that he received no formal communication from the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) regarding coach Marian Marinica’s decision. ZIFA responded that talks with Wolves had stalled, and they could not risk selecting a player who had only recently recovered from injury.