South Africa can be the surprise package at AFCON 2025 â?? Solomon Kalou

Ivory Coast legend Solomon Kalou insists South African can be the surprise package at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Bafana Bafana, who secured bronze medal in the last edition are paired in Group B against record winners Egypt, Angola, and Zimbabwe at the continental showpiece, scheduled to take place between December 2025 and January 2026.

Ahead of the tournament, Kalou, a former player of Premier League giants, Chelsea has tipped the Bafana Bafana as one of the favourites to annex the AFCON tournament.

“I think South Africa is coming back – they are doing very well, they have qualified for the World Cup, the Bafana Bafana are coming back to the level they usually showed us, football here is big as well, with big clubs, with big programs for youth, academies,” said the former Chelsea striker, who is also an ambassador to CAF.

“It’s very difficult to say [who will win AFCON] like I said there’s no more small teams, so I want to say the big countries like Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco – but there’s always some surprises,” he explained.

“With these tournaments, leagues in youth, that’s how you develop your local football, South Africa is doing very well, and I won’t be surprised to see them going far in the AFCON – last one they did very well, the surprising team in Ivory Coast. I would be putting my money for South Africa – they can be the surprise package.”

South Africa will open their AFCON account against powerhouse, Egypt on December 26, 2025.

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