Betting Notebook: Bafana Bafana v Zambia

Bafana Bafana take on Zambia in an international friendly in Gqeberha this Saturday, as the nation gears up towards a title charge at the Africa Cup of Nations. The AFCON tournament, set to be played in December/January for a change, is now only just six weeks away. This means teams have limited time to prepare for the tournament, given that club football is players’ priority at the moment. The final international window is a chance for teams not involved in other competitive qualifiers to make last-minute preparations before the final camps in early December. Let’s preview Bafana’s weekend game.

Form

The two nations enter this weekend’s clash with contrasting momentum. Bafana Bafana, who recently booked their World Cup spot for 2026, are flying high. One has to go back to January 2024 for the last time Bafana lost a game on the field in 90 minutes. This tally includes the 2-0 win over Lesotho, which was later expunged for Bafana fielding an ineligible player – after all, a form guide aims to show merely what the boys can do on the field. Zambia, meanwhile, has endured a tough 2025. Not only did they fail to qualify for the World Cup, but they finished second bottom in their qualifying group. Worse still, their final qualifier against Niger at home ended in defeat, against a team 21 places below them in the world.

24 – Under Coach Hugo Broos, Bafana are unbeaten on the field in 24 matches – the country’s longest unbeaten run in full internationals since readmission.

Head-to-head

Historically, Zambia has proved to be a tough opponent for Bafana – in the 24 matches played since 1992, Chipolopolo have won 10 times, Bafana nine, with five matches ending in a draw. However, this includes COSAFA Cup matches (which are usually set aside for reserve teams). Excluding COSAFA Cup matches, or what some call full internationals, the teams are even with seven wins apiece. Between 2015 and 2020, the countries met in four of full international matches, and won two games apiece. The last of these was at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, which Zambia won 2-1. As such, this will be the first full international between the nations in five years. That also means this is Hugo Broos’ first-ever game against Zambia (Broos only took over in 2021).

29 – Zambia are the 29th different team that Hugo Broos will be facing since he joined Bafana in 2021.

Key players

Hugo Broos may be loyal to a core group of players, but the latest Bafana squad has seen some new names added. The likes of Masindi Nemtajela and Keletso Makgalwa could earn their first caps, with players like Thembinkosi Lorch, Mduduzi Shabalala, Relebohile Mofokeng and Siyabonga Ngezana not called up. The former two have been in excellent form for their clubs lately, but have not made the cut. The latter have been regular call-ups, but (the absence of) form and fitness has left them out. The Zambian squad is a healthy mix of local and foreign-based players, spearheaded by Leicester City’s Patson Daka up front. Although designated as a friendly, the nearness of AFCON means players will be motivated to stake their claim for positions. The bookies have Bafana as slight favourites to win (1.9/1), while Zambia’s odds are significantly longer (3.7/1). With Zambia’s coach, Moses Sichone, reiterating the need to treat the match like a final, a draw (3.3/1) may be tempting – we expect Zambia to go hard for it.

You can bet on both teams to score

You can bet on a Bafana win or a draw