Despite the string of administrative bungles that have beset it, South African football is thriving in 2025 with at least one team, the SA Under-20, already crowned African champions. Raymond Mdaka’s Amajita won the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Morocco 1-0 in Egypt last Sunday.
But South Africa may just end this year with more champions. Mamelodi Sundowns are already in the final of the Caf Champions League and may join Amajita if they beat Pyramids FC of Egypt over two legs that started with the first one in Pretoria yesterday.
The events listed below involve South African national football teams and Sundowns in the second half of 2025 and beyond. It’s a chock-a-block programme that will see Amajita representing South Africa in the Fifa Under-20 World Cup and Banyana Banyana finally getting a long-delayed chance to defend the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy they won in Morocco in 2022.
Mamelodi Sundowns
Miguel Cardoso’s team will have no rest after completing the 2024-2025 campaign with an appearance in the Champions League against Pyramids in Cairo next Sunday.
Three more matches against Korean side Ulsan, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense of Brazil await Sundowns in the expanded Fifa Club World Cup which will feature 32 clubs and be played in the US from June 15 to July 13.
If Sundowns progress beyond their group B matches in the US, they’ll find themselves with little time to prepare for next season. But that’s the price you pay for success in football these days.
Sundowns fixtures for the Fifa Club World Cup:
• Ulsan, June 18, Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando in Florida, 12pm
• Dortmund, June 21, TQL Stadium, Cincinnati in Ohio, 6pm
• Fluminense, June 25, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens in Florida, 9pm
Banyana Banyana
Banyana coach Desiree Ellis’s frustration has come from waiting for Caf to produce fixtures, venues and dates for group matches against Egypt, Angola and Zimbabwe when they defend Wafcon in less than 50 days. The 12-team tournament will be hosted by Morocco from July 2-25.
As part of their final preparation for Wafcon, Banyana will play two friendlies against Zambia and Botswana at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, starting against Botswana on Wednesday before facing Zambia on June 3.
SA Under-17
Amajimbos are one the 10 African teams who qualified for the Fifa Under-17 World Cup which will be played in Qatar from November 3-27. Vela Khumalo’s side will learn of their opponents in Qatar this evening after the draw which will be conducted in Doha. For the first time, 48 teams will feature in this tournament.
SA Under-20
As African champions, Mdaka’s team will be expected to lead the charge of winning the World Cup trophy in Chile where they will be accompanied by Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt as Africa’s representatives. Only 24 teams will play in this tournament which will take place from September 27 to October 19. Fifa is yet to announce the date for the final draw.
Bafana Bafana A
So disorganised is Safa’s technical department (if it exists after the departure of technical director Walter Steenbok) that less than a week before Bafana’s second-string side represent the country in the Cosafa Cup, no team or coach has been announced. Given the fact that Molefi Ntseki has qualified this team for the African Nations Tournament (Chan) which will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda later this year, it should have been a no brainer for Safa that the same coach and players use this Cosafa tournament as preparation for Chan. Zambia have already taken that decision. The Cosafa tournament will be hosted by South Africa in Free State from June 4-15. Bafana will face Mozambique (June 4), Zimbabwe (June 7) and Mauritius (June 10) in their group matches.
Bafana Bafana
Hugo Broos’s team will not feature Sundowns players when they play two friendlies in June. Only Tanzania have so far been confirmed as opponents. Safa this week said they will confirm the other team in the coming days. Bafana will face Tanzania at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on June 6.
But the real stuff for Bafana will be when they resume their quest for qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, with four matches remaining against Lesotho, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. Broos and his team are still waiting for Fifa to let them know what kind of sanction they may face for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena in their 2-0 win against Lesotho in March. But even if those three points are deducted the table-topping Bafana remain favourites to qualify from their group.
Bafana will wrap up the year by making a second successive appearance at the Afcon with Broos in Morocco, where their group opponents are Angola, Egypt and Zimbabwe. Bafana will start as one of the favourites after winning bronze in Ivory Coast last year.
2026 World Cup qualifiers fixtures and dates
• Lesotho, September 1 (away)
• Nigeria, September 8 (home)
• Zimbabwe, October 6 (away)
• Rwanda, October 13 (home)
2025 Afcon fixtures and dates
• Angola, December 22, Marrakesh Stadium, 8.30pm
• Egypt, December 26, Adrar Stadium, 8.30pm
• Zimbabwe, December 29, Marrakesh Stadium, 8.30pm
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