Bafana Bafana move Congo AFCON qualifier to Gqeberha

This was confirmed by SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao during a Heritage Day braai event organized by Bafana sponsor Freddy Hirsch at the Busy Corner in Tembisa on Tuesday. 

Following a capacity crowd the last time out in Bloemfontein in June, when Bafana beat Zimbabwe 3-1 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Monyepao says they were looking forward to returning, but circumstances beyond SAFA's control forced a venue change.

"So the match will be taking place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, and it will be happening on 11 October, which is a Friday, at 19:00," said Monyepao.

"The reason why we selected Nelson Mandela Bay – initially we had pencilled in Bloemfontein, and we were in advanced talks with the Mangaung Municipality to take the game back there.

"Given the support we received in June when Bafana Bafana played against Zimbabwe, we thought it's the best atmosphere to give our team the support they need to get maximum points at home before they go to Brazzavile.

"But there were certain issues beyond our control that saw us take the game away."

With a rugby match scheduled to be played at Free State Stadium a few days prior, and other issues, Monyepao says they had to make a call, and the Friendly City was next in line.

"We were thinking about the happenings in Mangaung around that weekend, but things like the condition of the pitch leading up to the game was not going to be ideal for this kind of game," she added.

"Because we were notified of the rugby games that were happening before then, and we also had other logistical challenge that, when we sat down and thought about it, we thought it's best to move it to Port Elizabeth, which was actually scheduled to host Bafana in November."

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