Bafana Bafana rivals overview for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches

It was not the toughest draw possible for Bafana yet still brings challenges against three awkward teams including Eritrea the lesser known quantity who could prove unpredictable.

Here follows a brief summary of the sides involved.

Kenya

World ranking: 111

The East African nation is led by Benni McCarthy the man holding the Bafana Bafana record for most goals at 31 across twelve years of service.

Further caps and goals could have come without repeated disputes with the South African Football Association.

McCarthy will anticipate encounters against his compatriots knowing well how to overcome them although whether his squad can deliver remains to be seen.

Kenya last reached the continental finals in 2019 and have never gone beyond the groups across six prior appearances.

They may advance through the qualifiers free of heavy expectations while anticipating home hosted finals and McCarthy plans to build squad depth via these matches.

Most players are domestic based or active in lower European leagues.

Victor Wanyama recent retirement brings little change as he had been absent since 2020.

McCarthy readies two internationals next month as the Harambee Stars meet Palestine and Kyrgyzstan away in Bishkek and has selected several English based players of Kenyan heritage. South Africa remain unbeaten across four prior games against Kenya winning 1 0 at the Four Nations Cup in 1996 drawing 1 1 at the Castle Cup in Arusha Tanzania in 2002 securing a 1 0 friendly victory at Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in 2011 and prevailing 2 1 in Nairobi in 2012 thanks to a second half own goal.

Eritrea

World ranking: 184

The Red Sea hermit state returned to international football in March after more than six years away by entering 2027 Africa Cup of Nations preliminaries and surprisingly overcoming Eswatini across two legs.

Eritrea had skipped all internationals since January 2000 avoiding World Cup and Cup of Nations qualification due to repeated player defections on travels abroad.

Eritrea has been governed by President Isaias Afwerki since independence in 1993 with human rights organisations often calling his regime highly repressive.

Seven players defected after the away tie versus Eswatini raising chances Eritrea may exit the group phase. South Africa have never met Eritrea and this will mark the 97th different opponent since readmission in 1992.

Guinea

World ranking: 80

The Syli Nationale have been unable to host fixtures for three years pending September 28 Stadium renovations in Conakry though they hoped for readiness later this year.

Guinea missed the most recent Cup of Nations in Morocco yet had advanced past the opening round in the three editions before that.

In Ivory Coast in 2024 they progressed to the quarter finals. Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte assumed control last August and seeks more players of Guinean heritage in Europe to bolster the team.

They meet Northern Ireland in a friendly on neutral territory in Spain on June 4. Guinea hold an unbeaten record across three prior meetings with South Africa at 2 0 during the 2006 Cup of Nations in Egypt plus 1 0 in a 2008 friendly in Atteridgeville.

The only additional encounter was a goalless friendly in neutral Belgium in 2022.

They also clashed at the African Nations Championship finals in Kampala Uganda last August where South Africa prevailed 2 1 using a home based squad.