Ambition and continental pride will be at stake on the pitch as Egypt and South Africa prepare for a highly anticipated Group B showdown at the Grand Stade d’Agadir in Morocco.
The match promises to be a thrilling chapter in one of Africa’s most enduring football rivalries, CAF Online said in a preview on its website on Friday.
The last time these two heavyweights met on the AFCON stage, South Africa stunned hosts Egypt in one of the tournament’s most memorable upsets.
At Cairo International Stadium in 2019, Thembinkosi Lorch’s decisive strike silenced more than 60,000 passionate fans, as Bafana Bafana eliminated the Pharaohs in the Round of 16.
Six years on, the stakes may not carry the same drama, but the clash retains its prestige. Both sides arrive buoyed by victories in their opening Group B fixtures, and a second win would put either team firmly on the path to the knockout rounds.
Egypt, playing their second consecutive match at a familiar venue, overcame Zimbabwe 2–1 in a dramatic opener, with captain Mohamed Salah sealing the win in stoppage time.
Head coach Hossam Hassan, a veteran of the 1998 AFCON final victory over South Africa, acknowledged the challenge ahead.
“South Africa is a very strong team which we respect and they are among the teams who have shown high performance and are favourites for the competition.
“We have a long history against them; sometimes they won, sometimes we won. This is a new opportunity. We have analyzed their strengths and weaknesses.
“They are a team that are very aggressive and play the short-passing game but as a technical bench we have devised plans to contain them,” Hassan said.
Midfielder Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet added: “This is a really important game in our group and we hope that we can make a positive result. We respect South Africa a lot and how they play.
“Our coach and the technical bench have worked on a plan that will make us ready and we will make the Egyptian people happy. We want to show that we are in the best position and we have confidence from the first game we won.
“Our last meeting with South Africa ended in them eliminating us from AFCON 2019, but that is in the past. We are focused on what is ahead of us.”
South Africa, fresh from a 2–1 victory over Angola in their opener, travel from Marrakech with confidence. Coach Hugo Broos, who previously led Cameroon to AFCON glory against Egypt in 2017, emphasized the importance of the encounter.
“We are excited to play Egypt and we know what kind of a team they are. They are seven-time champions of this competition and that means something.
“They have some amazing players as well like Salah, Marmoush, and more, and that makes them interesting.
“But we are approaching the game with confidence knowing we are a good team as well. We have our qualities and we will try to show them as well,” he noted.
Much of South Africa’s attacking threat rests on Lyle Foster, who scored and assisted in the opening match against Angola. Foster underscored the team’s focus and motivation ahead of the game.
“The morale within the team is really high because we come into this game with victory from our first match.
“This will be a very important game because we are both on three points and a win will be one foot into the next round. Everyone in the team is focused and prepared for a good result.
“I know sometimes it is only human for complacency to slip in when you have good results but we have our own self drive and standards that we have to strive to maintain,”
Statistics also favour the visitors. South Africa remain undefeated in their last six matches against Egypt, winning four and drawing two. The Pharaohs’ last victory over Bafana Bafana came nearly two decades ago, a 1–0 friendly win in London in 2006, courtesy of Emad Moteab’s early strike.
As Egypt and South Africa prepare to renew one of Africa’s fiercest footballing rivalries, fans can expect a clash defined by skill, strategy, and the weight of history.
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