Benni McCarthy: Harambee Stars Coach Shares Pride in Progress of Current Bafana Bafana Side
- Benni McCarthy has explained why he cherishes the current South African men's national team squad under Hugo Broos
- The Bafana Bafana legend also compared the current national team side to the ones that qualified for the 2002 World Cup
- The Harambee Stars head coach's comment sparked mixed reactions from South African football fans on social media
Kenyan national team coach Benni McCarthy has shared the reason why he is proud of the current Bafana Bafana team under the managerial guidance of Hugo Broos.
Source: Getty Images
Bafana are currently in Morocco preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, having also secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place across the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
The Bafana Bafana are heading into the 2025 AFCON as one of the favourite teams to win the competition after finishing third in the previous edition held in Ivory Coast.
The South African coach was not part of the national team side that last won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, as the team finished second on his AFCON debut, thus winning the best player in the competition and the golden boot, which he shared with former Egyptian international Hossam Hassan.
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McCarthy shares why he's proud of Bafana
McCarthy, who was a member of the last Bafana Bafana team to qualify for the World Cup in 2002, expressed his pride in Hugo Broos’ current squad, noting that the team’s ability to compete against players in Europe’s top leagues reflects the growth and competitiveness of the South African domestic league, where almost all national team players are locally based and able to elevate their performance on the international stage.
The Harambee Stars mentor said their World Cup–qualifying team was different because nearly all the players were based abroad, including himself at Spain’s Celta Vigo, with others like Shaun Bartlett, Siyabonga Nomvethe, Mark Fish, Quinton Fortune, Aaron Mokoena, Lucas Radebe, and Sibusiso Zuma playing for major clubs across Europe. Whereas today, the national team is mostly domestic, with only three or four players based overseas.
South Africa will face Angola in their AFCON opener in Marrakech on Monday, December 22, 2025, with their opening fixture in next year's FIFA World Cup being against co-host Mexico, after being drawn in Group A.
Source: Getty Images
McCarthy's comments about this current Bafana Bafana side drew several reactions from South Africans on social media.
Bongani Mgubela added:
"Spot on 💯 Benni. We've qualified largely through locally based players for both the Afcon and the WC. So, we've no reason not to believe in them."
EL Espolon reacted:
"True legends don't criticise, big up Benni 👏👏👏"
Sakrili wrote:
"It’s actually an advantage for Bafana Bafana, cos many national teams have almost all players playing in different teams and leagues. Our squad is mostly Sundowns, Pirates and PSL locally based clubs gives more cohesive team harmony, and we have been preparing since last week."
Ntsako khoza mentioned:
"Imagine two of our best coaches in recent years, Pitso & Rhulani, in charge of 2 of the 3 biggest clubs, Pirates, Chiefs & and Downs playing Caf club football every season. What a force our Bafana can be, Stellies with Steve or even him in one of the big clubs, we can dominate."
hodmudau shared:
"Thank you, Coach Benni. Bafana can do with all the support right now"
bonganichuma368 said:
"The coach is not a South African or African; it would have sounded better if the coach too were African."
Broos shares Bafana's AFCON target
Briefly News also reported that Broos has shared Bafana Bafana's target at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this December.
The former Cameroon national team coach set the record straight after his team was put under pressure to win the tournament this year.
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Source: Briefly News
