With less than a week to the start of the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, several contenders completed their final preparations with high-intensity friendly matches across the continent and Europe on Tuesday.
South Africa, DR Congo and Egypt all recorded morale-boosting victories, while Ghana, Zambia and Nigeria used the fixtures to assess squad depth and sharpen tactical shape. Played in Johannesburg, Murcia and Cairo, the matches offered coaches final clues about form, fitness and combinations before travelling to Morocco.
(South Africa 1-0 Ghana) Mbule strike seals narrow Bafana win
South Africa signed off their AFCON preparations with a 1-0 victory over Ghana’s Black Galaxies at Dobsonville Stadium. The opening half was evenly contested, with both sides cautious and organised, cancelling each other out before the break.
The decisive moment arrived in the 57th minute when Sipho Mbule struck to give Bafana Bafana the lead. Ghana responded with urgency, creating several openings through Adams and Dogli, but failed to convert their chances.
The result provided coach Hugo Broos with encouragement ahead of departure to Morocco, while Ghana will look to improve their finishing as they refocus on upcoming World Cup qualification commitments.
(DR Congo 2-0 Zambia) Leopards overpower Chipolopolo
DR Congo produced a composed and authoritative performance to defeat Zambia 2-0 in a friendly at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia. Sébastien Desabre’s side began at high tempo and were rewarded in the 21st minute when Arthur Masuaku opened the scoring following sustained pressure.
Zambia fought back with energy and commitment, but struggled to breach a well-structured Congolese defence. After the break, the Chipolopolo enjoyed spells of possession and registered 14 attempts, yet failed to find a breakthrough.
The Leopards sealed victory in the 72nd minute through Rocky Bushiri Kiranga, underlining their defensive solidity and counter-attacking threat ahead of AFCON.
(Egypt 2-1 Nigeria) Pharaohs win in Cairo to conclude preparations
Egypt ended their AFCON build-up with a 2-1 friendly victory over Nigeria at Cairo International Stadium. The Pharaohs went ahead in the 27th minute when Mahmoud Saber finished from a low cross by Zizo.
Nigeria responded before the interval, equalising through Chidozie Awaziem after a goalkeeping error from Mohamed El Shenawy. Egypt regained control early in the second half, with Mostafa Mohamed scoring decisively in the 53rd minute following a swift counter-attack.
Coach Hossam Hassan made multiple substitutions to manage minutes, and the hosts saw out the match calmly, securing confidence before flying to Morocco.
CAF
