We are a few days into what is shaping up to be another big year for South African football, with several important dates on the horizon.
Here are some of the key ones to look out for.
January 15: Bafana Bafana’s opening match at the African Cup of Nations will be tough one, paired up with Mali. The west African country have twice before ended South African hopes at the tournament, notably in Kayes in 2002 in the quarter-finals and then again at home in Durban in 2013 when Bafana were eliminated in a post-match penalty shootout. Mali will have a team full of talent from clubs in the top European league and a physicality that South Africa might finds hard to compete with, but it is a game where it would be essential to get at least a share of spoils and make a positive start to the campaign. Bafana will play Namibia and Tunisia after that in Korhogo, which is also going to be a tough venue.
February 13: The DStv Premiership will resume with a set of midweek fixtures that see all 16 sides back to action just days after the conclusion of the Cup of Nations Ivory Coast. Leaders Mamelodi Sundowns will be away at Lamontville Golden Arrows for a tricky re-start, particularly given Arrows will be looking to end a run of seven successive defeats that has seen them tumble from second to 10th place in the standings. Sundowns also have plans to rest the 11 players competing at the Cup of Nations when they get back from the tournament so could be missing key elements for the trip to Durban. Second placed Cape Town City resume at home to Moroka Swallows, who missed their last two fixtures at the end of the season.
March 29: The date for the first leg of the African Champions League quarter-final, where Sundowns will presumably find themselves as they need only one more win to advance from the group phase. The Brazilians are competing in the group phase for a ninth successive season and have advanced to the knockout rounds every time but once. But they have made a horrible habit of failing to kick on from. Over the last two seasons, Sundowns have been the best performer in the group phase only to bomb out in the knockout rounds. With a last chance to get a place at the 2025 Club World Cup, this is a tournament they must now win.
June 1: The date for the Nedbank Cup final, likely to be played in Durban again given suggestions of a deal to host all finals in the city for the foreseeable future. With the assumption that Sundowns will go on and win the league title, this is the only piece of silverware for all the other clubs in the league to target this season. It also offers a chance to also compete in African club competition next season as well as decent prize money.
June 7: The exact date is not yet confirmed but it will be 24 hours on either side of June 7 that Nigeria host South Africa in the World Cup qualifiers. This is a crunch match in Group C where only the winner advances to the 2026 finals in North America. Bafana won away on their last trip to Nigeria in 2017 with a shock 2-0 triumph in Uyo and need much the same to get their qualifying hoped back up after November’s disastrous defeat away in Rwanda.
