Exclusive: Bafana Legend Tips South Africa to Dominate Tanzania and Raise AFCON Standards

Former South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena believes that Bafana Bafana will move past Tanzania with relative ease tonight at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane and backs the side to raise the bar in the African Cup of Nations later this year.

Tanzania Friendly Match

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos announced a relatively young squad with new faces for the two international friendly matches against Tanzania and Mozambique.

Broos decided to rest key players, including Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Themba Zwane, and to give opportunities to fringe players to provide opportunities and widen the talent pool for what is a busy year ahead.

Despite the dip in quality and experience on the side, Mokoena insists the players have the ingredients to beat Tanzania tonight.

Mokoena believes that since the current players have experience in the domestic league, the Premier Soccer League, they are supposed to dominate Tanzania, which has a far lesser league.

"We all know Hugo Broos at the moment. His preparation is for the African Cup of Nations, and he is able to see other players when the key players are not available. So, I mean, he chose these two games, Tanzania and Mozambique, to be able to give a run to these other players. So we need to win. That's simple as that," Mokoena told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

"I mean, we're playing home again. There's not much pressure. But I always say once you wear the national colours, there's always pressure in the sense that all the countries that are playing against South Africa, they want to beat South Africa."

"Who's not there, who's there, it doesn't really, you know, say much. It's caps at the end of the day. So these two games are very crucial. So we will win. We have to win. Simple as that."

"It's going to be a great test for the players who are new to the team. There are a few players who will be earning their first national caps."

"Tanzania is not an easy team to beat, but I foresee the players that Hugo Broos and Helman (Mkhalele) have selected, these are players that are regular players in the PSL, and our domestic league is one of the best on the African continent. So I expect our boys to be on top of Tanzania."

AFCON 2025-26

With the African Cup of Nations getting underway in December, Broos has his eye on raising the bar higher than they did last year, where they finished third in the tournament.

Mokoena believes the ambitions of the head coach and those of the team are warranted, given that clubs such as Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch are all competing in the continent's biggest competitions, the CAF Champions League and the Confederations Cup.

The former captain reckons that South African football is on a high and will continue to ride that wave into the AFCON 2025 as they aim to also qualify for next year's FIFA World Cup.

"I remember we came back with the bronze (AFCON 2024) and it's been a good year for South African football, really. I mean, we had Sundowns competing in the CAF Champions League, which is good for Bafana Bafana. We had Orlando Pirates competing in the Champions League. That's a plus. We had Stellenbosch competing in the Confederations Cup," said Mokoena.

"So, the more we have teams competing in African competitions, the better for our South African football. I mean, next season, to show that there is a progression, there is growth among the players and the clubs, we will have four teams that will be participating in the African continent competition."

"Going there, it's all about really raising the bar. It's never easy. I have tasted that. I know it's never easy to play in the African Cup of Nations. But I always say to be the best, you have to rub shoulders with the best. And on our continent, you get the best in the African Cup of Nations."

"Hopefully, the guys will absolutely raise the bar. I think it's been a good year, not only for Bafana Bafana. Let's look from the bottom. We had under-17 qualify for the World Cup, the under-20s have won the African Cup of Nations and have qualified for the World Cup, and now our Bafana have qualified for the African Cup of Nations. We're in a good position now to qualify for the World Cup as Bafana Bafana."