Pitso Mosimane Returns: Can South Africa’s Legendary Coach Rebuild Bafana Bafana?

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — South Africa is turning to one of the most successful coaches in African football as it prepares for a new chapter, with Pitso Mosimane set to return as head coach of Bafana Bafana more than a decade after his first spell in charge.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) National Executive Committee approved Mosimane’s appointment during an extraordinary meeting on Saturday, August 8, 2026. SAFA President Danny Jordaan confirmed the decision, although reports indicated that some final details were still being concluded before the appointment is formally completed.

The return comes after Hugo Broos stepped down following South Africa’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mosimane now faces the demanding task of taking over a national team that has gained valuable international experience but will be expected to compete seriously for honours on the African continent. For Mosimane, the appointment represents a remarkable second opportunity. His first spell as Bafana Bafana coach began after the 2010 World Cup but ended in 2012 following a difficult run of results and South Africa’s failure to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Reuters reports that the early stages of the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign also contributed to his departure.

Much has changed since then. Mosimane went on to establish himself as one of Africa’s most decorated club coaches. He guided Mamelodi Sundowns to the CAF Champions League title in 2016 before taking charge of Egyptian giants Al Ahly, where he won the Champions League twice and reached the final in three consecutive seasons. He subsequently gained coaching experience in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

That record gives Mosimane considerable credibility as he returns to the national-team environment. His challenge, however, will be very different from managing a successful club side. With Bafana Bafana, he will have limited time with players, must manage different club systems and personalities, and will have to quickly establish a clear identity for the national team. SAFA’s decision also comes at a significant moment for South African football. The country has invested heavily in developing its football structures and has produced a generation of players capable of competing at the highest level. Mosimane will be expected to turn that potential into consistent results.

His immediate focus will be the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. According to Reuters, South Africa is scheduled to face Guinea at home and Eritrea away next month as the race for qualification begins. The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, giving South Africa another major continental target to pursue. For South African supporters, Mosimane’s return carries both excitement and pressure.

He is coming back not as the coach who left Bafana Bafana in 2012, but as a vastly more experienced manager whose reputation was strengthened by years of success outside the national team. His achievements with Sundowns and Al Ahly have made him one of the most recognisable African coaches on the international stage.

SAFA itself has previously recognised Mosimane’s development as a coach. In 2022, the association noted that he had become the first South African to graduate with a CAF Pro License, the highest coaching qualification in African football.

The question now is whether that experience can translate into success with Bafana Bafana. South Africa needs more than occasional strong performances. The expectation will be for a team capable of challenging consistently for the Africa Cup of Nations, qualifying regularly for the World Cup and producing performances that restore Bafana Bafana among Africa’s leading national sides.

Mosimane knows the pressure that comes with the job. He also knows what it takes to win African football’s biggest club competitions. His second Bafana Bafana chapter therefore begins with a mixture of unfinished business, renewed expectations and an opportunity to demonstrate that the lessons of his coaching career can finally be converted into sustained success at national-team level.

For South Africa, the hope is simple: that the return of one of the continent’s most successful coaches can turn Bafana Bafana’s potential into trophies.

The big question is no longer whether Pitso Mosimane can win in Africa. He has already proved that. The question is whether he can now make Bafana Bafana winners again.

Sources: SAFA is the primary source for the appointment decision, while Reuters provides the background on Mosimane’s previous national-team spell, coaching achievements and immediate AFCON qualifying challenge