Emmanuel Petit: World Cup Winner Tips Bafana Bafana As AFCON’s Dark Horse Contender
- A former FIFA World Cup winner has named his two favourite countries to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
- The former Barcelona midfielder tipped Bafana Bafana as the underdogs and warned other teams not to underestimate Broos' side
- The former Arsenal and Chelsea star's comments about the AFCON sparked different reactions from fans on social media
Emmanuel Petit, the former World Cup-winning midfielder, sees Bafana Bafana as a potential surprise package at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Source: Getty Images
The French football legend, who earned more than 60 caps for his country, expects host nation Morocco to be the frontrunners, particularly highlighting the impact of Achraf Hakimi.
Petit, who also lifted the English Premier League trophy with Arsenal, shared his thoughts ahead of the AFCON tournament, which is set to kick off in Morocco on December 21. The opening match will feature Morocco facing Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
South Africa finished third in the last event in Ivory Coast and is looking forward to finishing among the top two in this year's edition, but will need a strong start in the group stage as they are placed in Group B alongside Egypt and other top sides.
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Hugo Broos recently named his final squad for the competition a few days ago, and left out some of the top players most fans were looking forward to seeing in the final Bafana Bafana squad.
Petit names SA, Morocco as favourites
Petit claimed that his favourite to win the tournament is Morocco, citing the strength of their players and the advantage of playing at home. He noted that Morocco had experienced some social unrest in the streets just two months ago, and that football can play a powerful role in calming the younger generation.
He highlighted Achraf Hakimi, the African Player of the Year, and mentioned the high expectations and financial backing from the King of Morocco, as the entire competition is being hosted there.
While Petit believes Morocco will be a tough team to beat, he also wouldn’t be surprised if South Africa, which won the tournament only once in 1996, made a strong showing. He emphasised that Bafana Bafana, despite being underdogs, should not be ruled out after having qualified for the World Cup.
Source: Getty Images
Fans have reacted strongly to the former France international’s views, especially his take on the favourite team to win the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Olamani Okwethu said:
"Nigeria are favourite to win after disappointing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in America."
Abduraghman Lambert wrote:
"South Africa is definitely going to win the African Nations Cup as they are a well-coached team. Especially the two times they played against Nigeria in the qualifiers, they showed why they qualified for the World Cup, not us."
Godwin Japhet shared:
"Of course, Petit is right because Nigeria are yet to assemble a team. We just have good individual players, not a team, compared to the likes of South Africa and Morocco, who have a better team."
Ikechukwu Clement Onuoha added:
"For Nigeria, I think we'd better Send The NFF Members and their Entourage to go represent us instead of Messing Our Players up with unproductive Administrative ineptitude."
Williams reacts to 2026 World Cup draw
Briefly News earlier reported that Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams shared his thoughts on Bafana Bafana's group at the 2026 World Cup.
The Bafana Bafana captain also talked about their chances of qualifying from their group in the competition.
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Source: Briefly News
