Pitso Mosimane Returns to Lead South Africa in AFCON 2027 Qualifying

South African football has gone back to a familiar figure in its hour of need. Pitso Mosimane is back in charge of the national team, handed the reins just weeks before the road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations begins.

The South African Football Association has turned away from Hugo Broos and back towards a coach whose name is stitched into the modern history of the game in the country. Mosimane replaces the Belgian and walks into the job with a CV that few on the continent can match.

Twenty trophies tell the story. Three of them are CAF Champions League titles – one carved out with Mamelodi Sundowns, two secured under the intense spotlight at Egypt’s Al Ahly. Those triumphs, built on organisation, intensity and an unflinching belief in his methods, turned Mosimane into one of Africa’s most respected coaches.

At home, his dominance was just as clear. Five South African league titles underline his command of the domestic game, his teams usually dictating tempo and territory, his standards rarely dipping over long, grinding seasons.

That success opened doors abroad. Mosimane has tested himself in Saudi Arabia with Al Ahli Jeddah and Abha, and in the UAE with Al Wahda. Most recently, he took charge of Esteghlal in Iran, adding another chapter to a career that has ranged across the continent and beyond, but always seemed destined to circle back to Bafana Bafana.

The timing of this return is no coincidence. AFCON 2027 qualifying is around the corner and South Africa want a steady, proven hand on the touchline. The brief is simple and ruthless: navigate the qualifiers, reach the continental finals, and do it with authority.

There will be no easing-in period. Mosimane’s second spell with the national team starts against Guinea on 26 September. Four days later, Eritrea await. Then come the home-and-away clashes with Kenya in November, fixtures that could define the tone of this new era before it has truly settled.

For a coach who has built his reputation on handling pressure and delivering when it matters, it is exactly the kind of challenge he has always embraced. Now the question is whether his winning habit at club level can be translated, once and for all, into a lasting legacy with South Africa.