Go big or go home for Bafana Bafana at Afcon against Cameroon
Bafana Bafana’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign under coach Hugo Broos will be seen as a potential failure if they lose to Cameroon in the Round of 16, despite Cameroon’s five-time championship status, due to raised expectations and Bafana’s recent improvements, including a third-place finish in the previous Afcon and closing the gap in Fifa rankings. Picture: BackpagePix
Image: BACKPAGEPIX
It’s harsh but true that Bafana Bafana’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) campaign will be regarded as a failure if they lose to Cameroon in their Round of 16 clash on Sunday.
That’s not because South African supporters are too critical, but instead due to the raised expectations of this side under coach Hugo Broos. This will certainly be the case again when his charges step into the Agdal Medina Stadium, in Rabat.
Even though Cameroon are five-time Afcon champions, Bafana might just consider themselves favourites in this match-up.
Since the Belgian took over the reins in 2021, this Bafana side has shown steady improvement.
Bafana’s Rise: Closing the Gap with Cameroon and Impressive Performances at Afcon
In the previous Afcon, Bafana were one of the standout teams of the competition as they went on to claim third place at the African showpiece.
Cameroon have also not qualified for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, while South Africa achieved the feat for the first time since the 2002 edition (Bafana qualified automatically as hosts in 2010).
Bafana’s consistent performances under Broos have closed the gap on Cameroon in the Fifa Fifa rankings. Cameroon are 57th in the world and 10th in Africa, while Bafana are 61st globally and 11th on the continent.
During Bafana’s group campaign, the most telling display was their performance against Egypt, despite their 1-0 defeat on Boxing Day.
Though Egypt were dominant in the first half and were rewarded with a controversial but correctly awarded penalty, which Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah slotted home to bag the 1-0 victory, it was an impressive display from Bafana.
As Egypt were reduced to 10 men for the second half, Bafana looked like a threat until the final whistle. This against one of the tournament favourites spoke volumes.
In fact, it was quite revealing that Egypt, for all their class and attacking intent, were unable to score in open play in that first stanza.
It showed that Bafana, under Broos, are able to compete tactically with the very best on the continent despite a lack of superstars on their team sheet.