Bafana Bafana v Egypt: International Friendly Preview

Bafana Bafana v Egypt kicks off at 20:00 SAST on Sunday, 4 October 2026, at the Cairo International Stadium. It is an international friendly rather than a competitive fixture, arranged four days after South Africa’s 5-0 win over Eritrea and in the same city. Pitso Mosimane’s side go into the match fresh off six points from two AFCON 2027 qualifiers, and the friendly gives him a chance to test fringe players before Group D resumes in November.

Update: this friendly has been played. Read the full Bafana Bafana 1-0 Egypt match report for the score, scorer and reaction.

• Fixture: Egypt v South Africa
• Competition: International friendly
• Date: Sunday, 4 October 2026
• Kick-off: 20:00 SAST
• Venue: Cairo International Stadium

When and where is Bafana Bafana v Egypt being played?

Kick-off is 20:00 SAST on Sunday, 4 October 2026, at the Cairo International Stadium. The SAFA fixtures list confirms the venue and kick-off time, and the match was arranged after Egypt’s team director said the country wanted the strongest available opposition for this international window. Because South Africa were already in Cairo for the Eritrea qualifier on 30 September, the friendly was scheduled for the same city just four days later.

This is not a Group D qualifier, so no AFCON 2027 points are on the line. You can track every Bafana fixture on our Bafana Bafana fixtures and results page.

Why does this friendly matter for Mosimane’s squad?

The game lets Mosimane assess depth options without the pressure of a qualifying result. South Africa’s 30-man preliminary group for the September and October fixtures was named ahead of the Guinea and Eritrea matches, and several of those players have had limited minutes so far. Since there is nothing to defend on the group table, Mosimane can rotate more freely than he could in Cairo against Eritrea.

Our Mosimane Bafana squad report sets out how that group was selected, while the South Africa national soccer team players page has the latest line-up as it updates through the window.

What is South Africa’s form heading into Cairo?

Bafana arrive unbeaten in their last four matches and fresh from a 5-0 win. South Africa beat Guinea 2-1 at Orlando Stadium on 26 September, then thrashed Eritrea 5-0 in Cairo on 30 September, results that put them top of Group D on six points. Before that qualifying double, Mosimane’s side had also gone through a World Cup group campaign unbeaten in two of their last three warm-up fixtures. As a result, confidence inside the camp should be high going into a friendly against a side ranked among Africa’s best.

Our Bafana Bafana 5-0 Eritrea report covers the qualifying win in full, including the scorers and what it means for the group table.

What is Egypt’s recent form like?

Egypt have also won their last two qualifying outings, including a 5-0 win of their own. The Pharaohs beat South Sudan 5-0 away in their own AFCON 2027 qualifying programme on 29 September, having drawn 0-0 at home to Angola five days earlier. Further back, Egypt featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they drew 1-1 with Iran before narrow exits against Australia and Argentina. Therefore, Sunday’s hosts arrive with momentum of their own, and the friendly should be a stern test for Bafana even without qualifying points at stake.

Have South Africa and Egypt met before?

Yes, the two sides have a recent history, with Egypt winning the most recent meeting. Egypt beat South Africa 1-0 in their last encounter in December 2025, while South Africa won 3-1 and drew 1-1 with Egypt in two further meetings earlier that year. Going further back, South Africa beat Egypt 1-0 in a 2019 fixture. Because the two countries have now met four times in under seven years, Sunday’s friendly continues what has become a fairly regular fixture between African heavyweights, even outside AFCON qualifying windows.

Fans can follow the action as it happens on our live scores page, alongside every other match involving South African sides that weekend.

What happens after Bafana Bafana v Egypt?

South Africa’s next competitive assignment is at home to Kenya on 11 November 2026, before travelling to Nairobi four days later. Those two fixtures resume Group D qualifying after the November international window. Our AFCON 2027 qualifiers schedule has the full run of remaining dates, and the South Africa national soccer team standings page tracks the group table as results come in.

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