Hugo Broos, will use next week’s international friendly against Zambia will be used to assess new players as Bafana Bafana fine-tune their squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco next month.
Broos has announced his final squad for the match against the Chipolopolo Boys, scheduled for Saturday, 15 November 2025, at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
The clash forms part of South Africa’s preparations for the continental showpiece, with kickoff set for 15:00 hours.
The Belgian tactician confirmed that the friendly presents an opportunity to evaluate fresh talent while resting some established players whose qualities are already well-known to him.
“There are a few new boys; a few others are not there because I know those players. So, I didn’t have to see them,” Broos told SAFA media. “But I took this opportunity in this game against Zambia to call some new players and to see them in training, see how their mentality is, and maybe in the future we can count on them.”
The 2026 World Cup-bound Bafana Bafana will assemble in Johannesburg on 10 November before heading to the Eastern Cape.
Aside from the two COSAFA Cup meetings in 2021 and 2023, the last international friendly meeting between the two sides took place on 11 October 2020, when Zambia defeated South Africa 2-1.
On the other side, Zambia will face South Africa with a new technical bench, with Moses Sichone taking over from former Chelsea coach, Avram Grant, on interim basis.
