South Africa’s Bafana Bafanais ready for a milestone match against Guinea’s National Elephants in the Total Energies African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The encounter will take place at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides in the tournament’s history.
The fixture carries added significance for both teams as they aim to collect vital Group C points. For South Africa, it’s also an opportunity to register their first-ever win in the CHAN competition. Guinea will mark South Africa as the 15th opponent they have faced in the tournament, while for Bafana Bafana, this will be their ninth different CHAN opponent. The match also represents Guinea’s third against a COSAFA nation, having previously met Zambia twice.
Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki is under no illusions about the challenge ahead, acknowledging the threat posed by Guinea’s dynamic and attack-minded style of play. “We will be going into this game fully aware that they are a very offensive team,” Ntseki said. “They’ve got some good individual players that can hurt you anytime, given a chance. We need to respect our opponents while focusing on how we want to play both offensively and defensively.”
Ntseki identified set-pieces and aerial challenges as potential danger areas, noting Guinea’s physical presence in the box.
“We’re aware that they have good headers of the ball, and that makes set-plays a critical area for us to manage,” he explained. “Transition play is also a concern, especially with players like Aboubacar Bangoura, Alhassane Bangoura, and Bangaly Cisse in their ranks.”
Midfielder Keagan Dolly, reflecting on South Africa’s tournament opener against Algeria, believes the team is steadily building confidence and cohesion.
“We had a good match against Algeria, which served as our opener in the tournament. It has boosted our confidence,” Dolly said. “Now, we need to focus on ourselves and treat every game as a final, knowing that each one is important for our progression in the tournament.”
Dolly stressed the importance of discipline and sticking to their game plan, especially in a tightly contested group.
“The game isn’t going to be easy. We’ve done our homework, and it’s vital for us to perform well and achieve what we set out to do,” he added.
Both teams enter the match aware that a positive result could be decisive in their pursuit of qualification to the knockout stages. With Guinea’s attacking depth and South Africa’s determination to break their CHAN win drought, Monday’s game promises to be a tense and competitive affair.
For BafanaBafana, victory would be more than just three points — it would be a statement of intent and a turning point in their CHAN journey. Guinea, on the other hand, will be eager to continue their tradition of strong performances against Southern African opponents.
As the two sides prepare to make history in Kampala, all eyes will be on how South Africa’s defensive organisation matches up against Guinea’s offensive flair.
