South Africa’s national team will wrap up their preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a friendly against Ghana on 16 December in Gauteng, but emerging information suggests the Black Stars will not be fielding their full-strength side.
According to sources, Bafana Bafana are aware that Ghana will be unable to present their “A” team for the fixture due to the timing of the match, which falls in the middle of the club football season. With the Black Stars having missed out on AFCON qualification, the Ghana FA is expected to deploy the CHAN (local-based) squad for the encounter.
Despite the change in expected opposition strength, the fixture remains an important test for South Africa as they fine-tune tactics ahead of their departure for the tournament.
The match offers Ghana’s CHAN team a valuable opportunity to gain international exposure, while providing Bafana Bafana with a competitive runout in front of their home fans.