Pitso Mosimane to use Egypt friendly to assess fringe players ahead of new Bafana Bafana era

Bafana Bafana's new coach, Pitso Mosimane, is set to put some of his fringe players through their paces in an upcoming friendly against Egypt on October 4 at the Cairo International Stadium. This match will arrive just after the first round of the 2027 Afcon qualifiers, which kick off on September 26 for the home nation. The friendly against Eritrea on September 30 in a yet-to-be-announced neutral venue in Egypt will serve as an important test for Mosimane as he begins his second tenure as Bafana coach.

Mosimane aims to build upon the foundation laid by his predecessor, Hugo Broos, by boosting competitiveness in both performance and results. Although he will likely field a strong contingent of Broos' regulars against Guinea and Eritrea, he will need to replace key injured players such as Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Khuliso Mudau, Thalente Mbatha, and Evidence Makgopa.

However, after facing Eritrea in Egypt, Mosimane announced that Bafana will take on the Pharaohs in a friendly, providing an opportunity to showcase new faces and give chances to players who were on the fringes under Broos. Mosimane is expected to unveil his preliminary squad in the coming days before finalizing the selection before the FIFA international window opens from September 21 to October 6.