South Africa's AFCON 2027 Qualifiers Squad: Mosimane's Third Spell Begins Against Guinea
Photo: CAF
Pitso Mosimane begins his third spell as South Africa coach with five uncapped players in his squad, ahead of a crucial AFCON 2027 qualifier against Guinea.
Pitso Mosimane, the three-time CAF Champions League-winning coach, begins his third spell in charge of Bafana Bafana with arguably the single highest-stakes fixture of the opening qualifying window: South Africa host Guinea on 26 September in a match that could decide who joins already-qualified co-host Kenya at PAMOJA 2027.
Mosimane succeeds Hugo Broos, who guided South Africa to third place at the 2023 AFCON and the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup — a tough act to follow, and a squad Mosimane has largely kept intact while introducing five uncapped players: Lebone Seema, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Yanela Mbuthuma, Puso Dithejane and Tashreeq Matthews.
Why this fixture matters more than most
Group D contains a quirk that makes South Africa's opener unusually significant: Kenya are through automatically as co-hosts, meaning only the highest-placed team other than Kenya qualifies from the group. That turns South Africa v Guinea into an effective play-off for the group's only available spot — a dynamic no other fixture in the opening round carries in quite the same way.
The core that remains
Ronwen Williams, Teboho Mokoena and Themba Zwane are among the experienced figures Mosimane has retained from Broos's squad, giving the new coach a settled spine to build the five newcomers around rather than starting entirely from zero.
What Guinea bring
Guinea travel with Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy expected to lead their attack. Coach Paulo Duarte has recalled Ilaix Moriba, Madiou Keïta and Saïdou Sow, while Kalmar FF's Aboubacar Keïta — an MLS Cup winner born in New York — earns his first senior call-up. Several established Guinea names, including Naby Keïta, are missing.
The rest of Group D
Kenya host Eritrea on the same day South Africa face Guinea. South Africa's second fixture is against Eritrea in Cairo on 30 September, while Guinea host Kenya on 1 October — meaning the group could realistically still be wide open heading into November's matchdays.
If Bafana Bafana make it through
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Squad and fixture information sourced from CAF's official announcements, 16–18 September 2026.
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