Soccer
Bafana wants to maintain top 10 ranking in Zambia clash─── ILSE SMALBERGER 09:50 Sat, 15 Nov 2025
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams returns home to Gqeberha on Saturday to lead the South African senior men’s national team against Zambia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in an international friendly match.
Williams told a press conference the Bafana Bafana players intend to carry out coach Hugo Broos’ message and treat this international friendly match against Zambia with the same competitive mentality they usually have for FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
“First and foremost, it’s lovely to come home and play in front of the home fans, and also play in front of passionate fans who gave us so much joy. The guys are excited to be here.”
Williams said the team trained hard this week and is going into the match with a competitive mindset.
Earlier this week, Broos said Bafana needed to maintain their top-ten ranking on the continent ahead of the 2026 World Cup draw in December.
At the press conference, he said he was pleased with the week’s training.
“I think the captain was already clear about what happened this week at training. So, I am very happy after what I saw. You know, it’s always a little bit dangerous when you play a friendly game,” he said.
Hugo Broos - Morgan Piek
“But what I saw this week at training makes me happy because you see the guys are ready again to give the best of themselves and try to win the game.”
South Africa have played 14 matches against Zambia so far, securing six wins, three draws, and five defeats, with a 42.9% win ratio. Kick-off in Gqeberha is at 15:00.
