Former Bafana Star Explains How Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates Players Are Shaping AFCON 2025 Dreams

Former Bafana Bafana defender Thabo Nthethe believes the national team's growing experience in CAF club competitions will be a significant advantage as they prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

South Africa is set to kick off their AFCON campaign against Angola next Monday at the Stade de Marrakech. The team aims to build on the momentum from their third-place finish at the previous tournament in the Ivory Coast, their best result in over a decade.

Under the guidance of coach Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana are on a quest for their second continental title, a feat they last achieved in 1996 with Clive Barker at the helm.

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After a strong showing in the last edition, there is a growing sense of optimism that the squad can contend for a spot in the final. Thabo Nthethe attributes much of this renewed strength to the continental exposure South African players are gaining at the club level.

He highlighted Mamelodi Sundowns' consistent high-level performances in Africa over the past decade as a key factor.

"Bafana Bafana have been doing well since coach Hugo took over," Nthethe told Independent Newspapers. "He has built a strong team that has been helped by the domestic teams’ participation in the CAF Champions League over the years."

The former international stressed the importance of consistent participation from the country's top clubs in maintaining the national team's progress.

He noted that Orlando Pirates have re-established themselves among Africa's elite, while Stellenbosch FC are making their mark in the CAF Confederation Cup.

"We now know how to approach such games. Playing continental football has been helping our football, and we need Kaizer Chiefs to play on a regular basis, even Pirates," Nthethe explained. "We need our big teams to be regular fixtures in the Champions League and Confederation Cup."

He also praised the emerging clubs, adding, "Stellenbosch are pushing and doing well, and the coach (Broos) is doing wonders by giving the boys a chance to come and play in the national team. There is a good, healthy squad and good competition among the players."

Nthethe is also encouraged by the stability within the squad and the seamless integration of new talent, which has bolstered depth without compromising performance.

"Even players that are getting call-ups to the national team for the first time, they try to ensure that they do not take the performance of the team down because the team has been achieving a lot," he said.

"Each and every one that comes in wants to take it to the next level, and that is why we are getting the results we have been getting."

With the AFCON serving as a vital test ahead of World Cup qualifiers, Nthethe views the tournament as a perfect opportunity to gauge the team's standing against Africa's best, especially as they aim to return to the global stage for the first time since 2010.