<\/p>\n
The match marks the beginning of Pitso Mosimane\u2019s tenure as Head Coach after replacing Hugo Broos last month.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
SA and Guinea are in Group D alongside Kenya, which has already qualified as an AFCON co-host. Only one additional team will advance from the group, making first place the priority for Bafana. \u201cWe know how important it is, especially in the qualifiers, to collect maximum points at home,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never know what you\u2019re going to get on the other side. We know the conditions and the travelling.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Williams said home support could provide Bafana with an important advantage as the national team seeks an immediate three points. \u201cThere is a lot at stake at this level, so we control what we can, and that\u2019s our home-ground advantage and our supporters,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we play at home, you see a different team. You see the energy, and you feel the love from the supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mosimane inherits a side that enjoyed a successful five-year period under Broos. Bafana won bronze at the 2023 AFCON in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire before qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and reaching the knockout stage.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Williams said Bafana must build on that progress and raise performance levels under Mosimane.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The squad also drew encouragement from Amajita\u2019s 4-2 victory over Zambia in Maputo, Mozambique.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Raymond Mdaka\u2019s team recovered from a goal down to qualify for the 2027 Under-20 AFCON in Ghana and reach the regional qualifying final.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Emile Witbooi attracted particular attention with a solo goal late in the match, adding to excitement around a promising generation of South African players.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Strong performances at international tournaments have also opened opportunities abroad for local players.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Relebohile Mofokeng and Thapelo Maseko are among the players in the Bafana squad who have secured overseas moves.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For Williams, however, the immediate focus remains Guinea and ensuring that Mosimane\u2019s tenure begins with a victory. \u201cWe know how important it is to get those first three points on the board,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–SABC\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":41922,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[20],"class_list":["post-46550","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-sport","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Bafana Bafana Captain Ronwen Williams says victory over Guinea is essential as South Africa (SA) begins the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification campaign at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.","published_date":"","news_description":"Bafana Bafana Captain Ronwen Williams says victory over Guinea is essential as South Africa (SA) begins the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification campaign at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46551,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46550\/revisions\/46551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=46550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}