South Africa begin their qualifying journey for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations at home to Guinea on Saturday. The match kicks off a six-round process that will determine which 24 teams join hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania at the tournament.

Pitso Mosimane is back for a third spell as head coach, taking over from Hugo Broos. Mosimane has retained the core of the squad that reached the World Cup knockout stages but has introduced five new faces. "Mosimane is beginning his third spell in charge of Bafana Bafana after succeeding Hugo Broos, who took South Africa to third place at the 2023 AFCON and the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup," the coach's return was confirmed.

Group D's unique challenge

The qualification path is complicated in Group D because Kenya, as a co-host, have already secured their place. Under competition rules, only the highest-ranked team other than Kenya will advance to the finals. This makes the early meetings between South Africa and Guinea particularly significant, as they are likely the main contenders for that single spot. Eritrea completes the four-team group.

South Africa's build-up has been positive, coming off a 1-0 friendly victory over Egypt last week, with Puso Dithejane scoring the winner. Their recent form shows two wins, a draw and two defeats from their last five outings. The team will look to carry that momentum into the qualifiers, with their full upcoming schedule available on our fixtures page.

Key absences and returns

Guinea arrive with their own selection news. Coach Paulo Duarte has recalled midfielder Ilaix Moriba among others, but will be without experienced campaigner Naby Keïta. Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy is expected to lead their attack. Elsewhere in the qualifiers, several top African nations are missing key players. Senegal will be without Sadio Mane for their opener, with coach Patrick Vieira calling it a "physical issue". Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi is suspended, while Nigeria's Victor Osimhen is injured.

The opening round of matches for Groups D, E and F runs from 24 September to 1 October. South Africa's second fixture is against Eritrea in Cairo on 30 September. Guinea will host Kenya the following day. The entire qualifying process is scheduled across six matchdays, concluding in March next year.

The 2027 finals will be held in East Africa for the first time in 51 years, running from 19 June to 17 July across ten venues in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. After the Guinea match, South Africa's next scheduled game is a home qualifier against Kenya on 11 November. Fans can track the team's progress and view the latest squad information on our squad page.

Background and full detail: aljazeera.com