We have to face the best to win Afcon says Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams

Mihlali Baleka

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams said at the weekend that they’ll need to face their Afcon group stage opponents head-on, regardless of their stature on the continent.

After Monday night’s draw Bafana now know the identity of the sides they will face in the group stages of the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after the Final Draw was conducted in Rabat, Morocco.

The South African senior men’s national team was one of the 24 teams that have qualified for the continental tournament and coach Hugo Broos’ charges were drawn in Group B where they will face Egypt, Angola and Zimbabwe.

The draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has been confirmed, and Bafana Bafana are in Group B.
Coach Hugo Broos' charges will face:
🇪🇬 Egypt
🇦🇴 Angola
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe #BafanaPride @10bet_ZA @CastleLagerSA @flysaa@pefmo_za @SABC_Sport @NUTRITECHFIT @SouthernSunGrp

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) January 27, 2025

Williams, who was the cornerstone of Bafana’s third-place finish in Ivory Coast, said on Sunday, ahead of the draw, that they must be ready for anything when their fate for the Afcon group stage would be decided on Monday night.

“There’s nothing that we can do. It’s the best of the best. So, whoever is there, we need to prepare accordingly for them,” said Williams, during a Castle Lager event last week.

“We’ve got the experience now. We’ve tasted what Afcon is about. The players are doing well, and the coaches know what needs to be done to be successful at Afcon.

“We’ve tasted that, and we are fully behind them. We’ve got a good thing now, and 11 months from now, the tournament will start.

“So, hopefully, between now and when the tournament starts, everyone is healthy and fresh. And we’ll go there with all our soldiers and compete.”

https://t.co/6Kmcc9anIx#BafanaPride @10bet_ZA @CastleLagerSA @NUTRITECHFIT @pefmo_za @SABC_Sport @SAFA_net @flysaa @SouthernSunGrp

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) January 27, 2025

World Cup qualifiers

Bafana have to be at their best on many fronts this year as one of their main targets is to qualify for the Fifa World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico next year. To get there, the Hugo Broos coached team will resume their World Cup qualifiers with clashes away to Lesotho and Benin in March.

They’ve had an impressive qualifying campaign so far as they are second in Group C with seven points, level with log leaders Rwanda after four matches. Should Bafana ultimately qualify for the global showpiece for the first time since 2010 when they were the host, Williams says their continental experience will come in handy.

“It can only help and benefit us. Most of the players will have the experience of playing against the best on the continent,” Williams said.

“Playing on the continent comes with its own challenges: the conditions and travelling. The players understand it now. It’s no longer an issue for us.

“Before there were a lot of excuses. We know it’s going to be tough. We always tell each other that ‘it’s not your mother’s house, don’t expect good things there’. That’s the mentality.

“We’ve got a job to do there – get a win or draw. That has helped us. It can only help the national team because there’ll be a bigger pool for the coach to select from.”

Goalkeeping crisis?

Last year, at least five goalkeepers – Williams, Ricardo Goss, Veli Mothwa, Sage Stephens and Sipho Chaine – all got call-ups and donned the Bafana No.1 jersey.

Williams’ backups, though, were not convincing in some matches when he was out injured, with many suggesting that the country has a goalkeeping conundrum.

“Not at all,” said Williams, on whether Bafana has a goalkeeping crisis. “Last year, five goalkeepers played, and I am happy to sometimes sit out. That’s the conversation I have had with the coach. You can see in the friendly games sometimes, others are given a chance. Last year, five goalkeepers played. When can you last say that about Bafana?

“They didn’t just play; they raised their hands. In our last camp, those three goalkeepers are in the knockout stage of continental competitions – the Champions League and Confederation Cup. It will help Sipho, and Sage.

“In the level that we are playing at now, they can only get better. We don’t compete but are brothers. We message each other regularly.”