| EGYPT | 0 – 1 | SOUTH AFRICA |
| Fixture | Egypt v South Africa (international friendly) |
| Date & kick-off | Sunday 4 October 2026, 20:00 |
| Venue | Cairo International Stadium |
| Goal | Puso Dithejane 50′ (assist: Shandre Campbell) |
| Second-half changes | Campbell for Luther Singh; Khulumani Ndamane for Ime Okon; Tshepang Moremi for Tashreeq Matthews |
The story
Pitso Mosimane rolled the dice in Cairo. Rather than lean on the players who dismantled Eritrea 5–0 on Wednesday, the Bafana coach rotated heavily, handing minutes to squad members who had seen little or no action in the AFCON qualifiers, and using one of Africa’s heavyweights as the test. His fringe XI delivered, winning 1–0 on Egyptian soil.
Egypt began the stronger side and Bafana had to weather an early spell of pressure. Emam Ashour forced the first save of the night after 28 minutes, shooting through a crowd of bodies, but Sipho Chaine kept it out. Bafana’s first clear chance came on 20 minutes, when Thabang Matuludi fired wide from inside the box after good work down the right by Tashreeq Matthews. It was goalless at the break.
The visitors came out with more purpose after the restart and struck on 50 minutes. Shandre Campbell, on at half-time, played the through ball and debutant Puso Dithejane, a former Kaizer Chiefs youth product, ran on to beat goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir. It was a first cap and a winning goal in the same night.
Egypt pushed hard for an equaliser as the match went into added time, and there were nervy moments, but Bafana stayed disciplined and held on for a famous win.
Three wins from three
The result completes a perfect first camp for Mosimane in his second spell in charge, and it was achieved with two very different selections.
| # | Opponent | Result | Competition |
| 1 | Guinea | 2–1 win | 2027 AFCON qualifier |
| 2 | Eritrea | 5–0 win | 2027 AFCON qualifier |
| 3 | Egypt (away) | 1–0 win | International friendly |
- Eight goals scored and only one conceded across the three matches, with both the first-choice group and the second-string group delivering wins.
- Mosimane has now beaten Egypt twice as Bafana coach, after a 1–0 qualifier win in March 2011.
- Bafana have lost only one of their last eight meetings with Egypt, the exception being a Mohamed Salah penalty at the December 2025 AFCON.
What it means for the rankings
Egypt sit 24th in the FIFA rankings and Bafana 49th (after the two qualifiers wins), so this was a win over a side 25 places higher. On whether the friendly counts: it does. FIFA’s ranking formula includes friendlies, but they carry a lower weighting than competitive matches such as the AFCON qualifiers, so the Guinea and Eritrea wins will do more of the heavy lifting. Beating a higher-ranked opponent earns extra credit, which helps offset the lower weighting. The exact movement will only be clear once FIFA publishes its next update.
Verdict
A good night for squad depth. Dithejane, Campbell and the other fringe players have given Mosimane something he did not have before this camp: proof that the second tier can win a tough away game. Bafana return in November for back-to-back 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Kenya, home and away.
