Pitso Mosimane named South Africa coach ahead of Guinea clash

Pitso Mosimane has been named the new coach of the South African national team just before they face off against Guinea in a 2027 AFCON qualifier. This appointment comes after Hugo Broos left his post following the World Cup exit earlier this year in North America. The confirmation happened on Tuesday, marking a resolution that took 24 days since the national football association first gave its approval.

Association president Danny Jordaan spoke about tying up loose ends back on August 8, noting that things needed to wrap up quickly. Yet the process dragged out far longer than anyone expected. Mosimane steps into shoes once worn by Broos, a 74-year-old Belgian who retired after guiding South Africa to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time in North America this year.

The new manager now has only 23 days to get his team ready for their home match against Guinea. While that opponent failed to reach the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco, they possess one of the top Africa-based strikers playing in Europe right now: Serhou Guirassy at Borussia Dortmund. Mosimane is no stranger to leading this squad. He will be taking charge of Bafana Bafana for a second time after an unsuccessful two-year stint from 2010 that ended with him being fired following a home draw against Ethiopia in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

That earlier failure remains painful. The team celebrated wildly after drawing with Sierra Leone, convinced they had qualified, only to realize later they misunderstood the head-to-head rule. Mosimane found greater success managing clubs instead. He won the CAF Champions League once with Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns and twice with Cairo outfit Al Ahly. He also secured the CAF Super Cup three times. Those six titles make him the most successful Black coach in CAF club competitions, though Portuguese Manuel Jose holds the record with eight titles for Al Ahly.

After finishing his time at Ahly following three seasons, Mosimane coached teams in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran before returning home. His second contract with South Africa runs until the 2030 World Cup hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The stakes are high as communities look to their national team for hope and unity after a disappointing global stage showing.