Potsane, Zulu, Mashego in Bafana Bafana squad for 2025 CHAN qualifiers

South Africa’s senior national football team coach for home-based players, Molefi Ntseki, said he is relieved to have a full squad available ahead of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers against Malawi.

Bafana Bafana will face Malawi in the first leg of their qualifier on Saturday, 3 May in Lilongwe, before hosting the Flames at Loftus Stadium in Tshwane on Sunday, 11 May.

In the build-up to the game, Ntseki has had to grapple with the absence of some players due to their clubs’ assignments, a development the coach admitted made training difficult.

"So, it has been very difficult to get all the players we called up in the initial squad. It has been very difficult because clubs are playing today on Wednesday, and clubs are playing over the weekend, and we had a lot of withdrawals due to club commitments,” he told South African Football Association (SAFA) media.

“I think everybody is aware that the league is nearing an end and teams in the PSL are working very hard to be in the top eight, some are working very hard to be in the top three, some are working very hard to win the championship, and some are working very hard to avoid relegation.”

The coach added that he was happy to see the amount of work the players put into the session.

“Today is the first time that we have a full squad that has reported for camp, so we could start working on our tactics, and making and creating different moments of the game for a better tactical understanding, so that when we get to Malawi, we can execute our tactical plan,” he added.

The squad comprises Betway Premiership stars such as Malibongwe Zulu, Terence Mashego and Jody February of Mamelodi Sundowns. Kaizer Chiefs have contributed Tebogo Potsane.

Bafana Bafana will travel to Lilongwe on Thursday morning, 1 May 2025 and return home on Monday, 5 May 2025.

The overall winner between the Flames and Bafana Bafana will qualify for the CHAN finals scheduled to take place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in August 2025.

Who is in Bafana Bafana’s squad?