Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has opened up on his choice philosophy forward of the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco (21 December 2025 – 18 January 2026), revealing that his squad for the event will look totally different from the one used throughout World Cup qualifiers, deliberately mixing expertise with rising youth.
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Broos, recognized for his long-term imaginative and prescient and development-focused method, stated the stakes at AFCON, whereas severe, supply a singular alternative to combine youthful skills into the senior nationwide group in a lower-pressure atmosphere in comparison with the all-or-nothing calls for of World Cup qualification.
“My AFCON choice is totally different from the World Cup qualifiers. At AFCON, some kids can be part of simply to be taught,” Broos defined.
He identified that World Cup qualifiers require essentially the most prepared, skilled gamers, a setting the place errors are expensive. However in Morocco, with AFCON’s construction and scheduling, there’s area to reveal youthful gamers, give them expertise, and construct depth for the longer term.
“Throughout World Cup qualifiers, there isn’t any room for experiments — every match is sort of a ultimate. However AFCON provides us respiration area to herald youth and allow them to develop,” he stated.
Broos emphasised that bringing younger gamers to the event even when they don’t begin is an funding in Nigeria’s (or the related nationwide group’s) future, giving them publicity to high-stakes soccer, continental competitors, and the strain of representing their nation.
“It’s an opportunity for them to be taught what it means to be at AFCON, the atmosphere, the expectation, the ambiance, and all that helps form tomorrow’s stars,” he added.
But, Broos insisted the core of the squad stays robust and aggressive. Skilled gamers will lead on the pitch, whereas kids observe, be taught, and put together to step up when wanted.
“AFCON 2025 in Morocco isn’t just about competing at the moment, it’s about constructing for the subsequent cycle,” he stated. “We goal to combine youth and expertise, safe outcomes, and lay the inspiration for long-term success.”
For Broos, the message is obvious. AFCON presents a twin mission: win now, and construct for tomorrow.
