Bafana's Record Against AFCON Group Opponents

After Bafana Bafana were grouped against Guinea, Kenya and Eritrea for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, we take a look at their record against their opponents.

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South Africa were handed a favourable draw, on paper, when they discovered their opponents for the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

Hugo Broos' men were placed in Pot 1 among Africa's 12 best teams, according to the FIFA World Rankings, and were drawn against teams from Pots 2, 3 and 4.

With Kenya co-hosting the tournament, they are guaranteed to qualify for the tournament, and should they finish outside the top two in the group, Bafana will have to win the group to qualify.

We take a look below at Bafana's record against their group opponents ahead of the qualifying stage.

South Africa has faced the Harambee Stars four times, winning three times and losing once. The two teams have only met in friendly competition, with the first fixture coming in 1996, shortly after Bafana were crowned AFCON champions.

Kenya won the second tie 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 2002, before the two teams met in back-to-back years in 2011 and 2012, with South Africa winning 2-0 and 2-1 respectively.

The next clash will carry extra significance as South Africa's leading scorer, Benni McCarthy, will be in the opposite dugout when he faces his home country for the first time in his managerial career.

Drawn as the Pot 2 side, Guinea will present South Africa's toughest challenge in the group. The two teams have met four times, with Guinea claiming two wins to South Africa's one, with one draw.

Their first meeting came during the 2006 AFCON, where Guinea claimed their first win over Bafana. They met in an international friendly two years later, with Guinea winning 1-0.

The Elephants and Bafana met in another friendly in 2022, sharing the spoils in a 0-0 draw, before South Africa finally picked up their first win over the West Africans during the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) with a 2-1 win.

South Africa has yet to play Eritrea in a competitive game. The Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF) was formed in 1996 and only joined FIFA and CAF in 1998.

They have often struggled during World Cup and AFCON qualifying campaigns, and were forced to withdraw from several tournaments as players vanished in an attempt to seek political asylum in foreign countries.