Wednesday was the job. Sunday is the exam. Egypt vs Bafana Bafana carries no points, no group table and no ticket to anything, yet it may tell South African fans more about Pitso Mosimane’s new side than either qualifier that came before it.
Two games, two wins, seven goals. That is how the coach’s return has gone so far, and the 5-0 win over Eritrea on Wednesday night was as comfortable as it looked. Egypt at home is a different animal. Same city, very different opponent, and a coach who knows every corner of it.
Quick facts
- Fixture: Egypt v South Africa, international friendly
- Date: Sunday 4 October 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 SAST
- Venue: Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt
- TV and radio: SABC Sport, plus SABC radio stations
- Streaming: SABC Plus
- Head to head: 15 meetings, South Africa 8 wins, Egypt 5, 2 draws
- Last meeting: Egypt 1-0 South Africa, Africa Cup of Nations, Agadir, 26 December 2025
Why Egypt vs Bafana Bafana matters more than a friendly should
Bafana sit on six points from two matches in AFCON 2027 qualifying, with Guinea beaten at Orlando Stadium and Eritrea swept aside in Cairo. Both were games South Africa were expected to win. Neither told us much about how this group copes when the other side has the ball, the crowd and the better players.
Sunday will. Mosimane put Egypt among the continent’s big guns when he named his squad in September, and he has framed this trip as a reunion as much as a test. “The match between Bafana Bafana and Egypt will be brotherhood. We are looking forward to once again seeing our brothers and sisters,” he said in SAFA’s announcement of the fixture. The point of the friendly was always the opponent.
There is a scoreboard reason to care too. At the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Boxing Day 2025, Egypt won 1-0 with a Mohamed Salah penalty. That one stung, and a good night in Cairo would close the chapter.
Mosimane’s Cairo homecoming
Mosimane does not need directions to the Cairo International Stadium. He won two CAF Champions League titles with Al Ahly, and Egyptian supporters remember him well. SAFA president Danny Jordaan made the same point when the match was announced on 3 September.
“I think that coach Pitso’s return to Bafana Bafana will add another twist because they know him very well in the North African country,” Jordaan said, as reported by the Sunday Independent. “This will be another great test for both teams.”
For Pitso Mosimane, the trip is a chance to show Egypt a different version of himself: not the club coach who collected trophies in red, but the national coach rebuilding Bafana at speed. He has not got carried away by the start. “It’s a good start, but let’s keep our feet on the ground and not get too excited,” he told Daily Maverick after Wednesday’s win.
Egypt’s form and the Salah question
Hossam Hassan’s Egypt began their own AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign with a 0-0 draw at home to Angola, then went to Juba and beat South Sudan 5-0. Omar Marmoush scored twice, with Mostafa Zico, Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim adding the others. That leaves the Pharaohs on four points from two games in Group B, according to KingFut and The National.
Marmoush is in the squad Hassan named for this window and arrives with two goals in his last game.
Salah is another story. He was named in the same squad, started against Angola and was taken off just after the hour. He then left camp and was rested for the trip to Juba because of the artificial pitch there. On 29 September GOAL reported Hassan saying that Salah would be ready from the South Africa match onwards.
Since then, the reports have gone the other way. Africa Soccer reported on 1 October that Salah will miss the friendly. YSScores carried comments from Ahmed Shobair on On Sport radio saying the same, and on Friday GOAL reported his absence, citing Turkish media. We could not find a statement from the Egyptian Football Association, so treat this as reported, not confirmed, until the team sheet is out.
Hassan, for his part, has been clear that Egypt should not lean on one man. “It is not right for a country of 120 million people for the national team to depend on one player,” he said after the South Sudan win, as reported by The National. With or without Salah, Egypt at home are, on paper, the toughest opponent Bafana have faced under their new coach.
Bafana team news: thin in the middle
The worry for South Africa is not up front. It is in central midfield.
Teboho Mokoena and Aubrey Modiba were both hurt in the Guinea game and missed Wednesday. Business Day reports that both are doubtful for Sunday. Then Bathusi Aubaas, who started against Eritrea, broke down inside the first 20 minutes and had to come off, according to SAFA, Business Day and Daily Maverick. Durban City midfielder Brooklyn Poggenpoel replaced him on his Bafana debut. Aubaas is also listed as doubtful.
Mosimane did not hide the problem. “We are a bit thin for the Egypt match with central midfielders but it also gave Brooklyn a chance and he played very well,” he said, as reported by Business Day.
That is the sentence to remember on Sunday. Against Eritrea, a reshuffle in the engine room did no harm. Against Egypt at home, the pairing in the middle will decide how much of the ball Bafana actually see.
What Mosimane may try
Friendlies are where national coaches experiment, and this one was planned that way. When the match was confirmed in September, the Sunday Independent reported that Mosimane intends to use it to give new faces and fringe players a run. In his squad announcement he said he had kept the core of the World Cup team “but we have five players out due to injury, and we also want to give young players a chance.”
Nobody will know the plan until the team sheet lands. Our view, and it is only a view: Poggenpoel has earned more than a cameo, and Sunday is the obvious place to see whether he can hold his own against stronger opposition. A coach with two wins in the bank also has room to look at players he has not yet seen in this shirt.
Then there is Relebohile Mofokeng, who has made himself the first name on the attacking side of the sheet. “Rele showed his class. What a class. Rele is a top player!” Mosimane told IOL after Wednesday. A night against Egypt’s back line in Cairo is exactly the kind of stage where a young forward finds out how good he really is.
The history between South Africa and Egypt
This rivalry leans South Africa’s way. EWN and Flashscore both put the record at 15 meetings: eight South African wins, five for Egypt and two draws. EWN adds that Bafana have scored 15 goals to Egypt’s 11, and that Benni McCarthy is the fixture’s top scorer with four.
Cairo itself holds one of Bafana’s great nights. At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Egypt, Thembinkosi Lorch scored late to win a last-16 tie 1-0 and send the hosts out of their own tournament. Every South African fan of a certain age can still see that finish.
The most recent meeting went the other way. In Agadir on 26 December 2025, Egypt won 1-0, and Flashscore notes they finished with ten men while South Africa pushed for an equaliser that never came. One win each in the last two tournament meetings, then, and a friendly to settle nothing and everything.
What to watch for
- The midfield pairing. Whoever starts in the middle has to survive the first 20 minutes in a loud stadium. If Bafana keep the ball there, the rest follows.
- Marmoush. Fresh from two goals in Juba, he is the Egyptian forward Bafana can be sure of facing. Give him a yard and he will use it.
- Mofokeng against a proper defence. Two goals against Eritrea were a statement. Doing damage against Egypt would be a bigger one.
- How many changes. A long list of new faces tells you Mosimane is building for the next window. A near full-strength side tells you he wants the scalp.
How to watch Egypt v Bafana Bafana
The match is on SABC Sport in South Africa, with commentary on SABC radio stations, according to Briefly News and Daily Sports. Briefly News adds that it will stream on SABC Plus. Kick-off is at 20:00 SAST on Sunday 4 October, so there is time for the braai to finish before the anthems.
Frequently asked questions
What time is Egypt vs Bafana Bafana on Sunday?
Kick-off is at 20:00 South African time on Sunday 4 October 2026, as announced by SAFA. The match is an international friendly, not a qualifier, so no AFCON points are at stake.
Where is Egypt v South Africa being played?
The friendly is at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo, Egypt. It comes four days after Bafana’s AFCON 2027 qualifier against Eritrea, which was also played in Cairo.
What channel is Egypt vs Bafana Bafana on?
The match is on SABC Sport, with radio commentary on SABC stations. It can also be streamed on SABC Plus.
Is Mohamed Salah playing for Egypt against South Africa?
Salah was named in Egypt’s squad, but he left camp after the Angola game and several reports since 1 October say he will miss the friendly. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan had earlier said Salah would be ready for this match. No official Egyptian FA confirmation was found, so check the team sheet before kick-off.
What is the head-to-head record between Egypt and Bafana Bafana?
The sides have met 15 times, with South Africa winning eight, Egypt five and two drawn. South Africa won 1-0 in Cairo at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, and Egypt won the most recent meeting 1-0 at the 2025 tournament in Morocco.