The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will reach an early high point this Friday as South Africa (SA) take on Egypt in a crucial Group B match in Agadir, Morocco.

Bafana Bafana enter the game as one of the early favourites, while Egypt, seven-time AFCON champions, are also expected to challenge strongly. SA’s head-to-head record against the Pharaohs favours Bafana, but FIFA world rankings paint a different picture, with Egypt 35th in the world and SA 61st.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, a 37-year veteran of the game, spent Christmas away from his family preparing his team for the high-stakes encounter. The 73-year-old Belgian acknowledged the challenge ahead, insisting that this AFCON tournament is tougher than the previous edition in Ivory Coast.

“It’s very dangerous to put yourself as favourites. This AFCON will be tougher than the one in Ivory Coast because I think the big countries will repeat the mistakes they made there,” Broos said.

–ChannelAfrica–