But at this stage I don’t think any team are going to be at their best. Thulani Serero of South Africa during the 2018 Russia World Cup Qualifier match between South Africa and … Former Bafana Bafana winger Helman Mkhalele believes the senior national team can still qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. CAIRO – African teams will contest a final playoff round in their World Cup 2022 qualification campaign, a system last employed for the 2014 tournament, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has decided. The 50-year-old tactician took charge of the national team last year and he has been tasked with leading Bafana to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and 2022 Fifa World Cup finals. The 28 include Madagascar, who reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals last week. "When you look back since 2014 we are seeing an increase of players that we are exporting again. If we have top players, we will export more players to top European leagues. "So the players will be more aware of what’s going on. I think to start with Namibia on Thursday, it is a game we have to use to find some players’ form. South Africa head coach Molefi Ntseki believes the current Bafana Bafana team can qualify for the upcoming major international competitions. South Africa's hopes of another Afcon title are hanging by a thread after Bafana Bafana suffered a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat to Morocco by virtue of a late goal. It has been tough all around. What a day What a climax What a #WorldCup #OnThisDay a year ago, @FrenchTeam earned their second star ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/KqNsoRVEYu. South Africa head coach Molefi Ntseki believes the current Bafana Bafana team can qualify for the upcoming major international competitions. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix The group winners will then be drawn into five playoff ties over two legs, with the victors qualifying for the World Cup. Ntseki stressed the importance of exporting more South African players to top European leagues as this will help Bafana perform well. Teams were all under lockdown, they were inside the bubble, they couldn’t train properly leading up to the games,” said Igesund. “Obviously they are playing to get some game time but they should also use it to prepare the team technically, how the coach wants to play,” Igesund said. A strong national team will compete in the Afcon and do well. "Doing well in the Afcon will also produce good quality players and they will be scouted by European teams. As long as the players’ attitude is what is required. “He knows that the players could be a little bit rusty but he can still put up a team that can play the way he wants it to play when he plays his first Afcon qualifying match. Coach Molefi Ntseki’s Bafana Bafana are back in action for the first time since November 2019 Ntseki can still build competitive Bafana Bafana despite lockdown - Igesund | Goal.com News Bafana Bafana will play Namibia on Thursday and then wrap up their October friendlies against Zambia on Sunday. Qualifying for the Afcon will be a great preparation for us to go for World Cup qualifiers. For the 2018 finals in Russia, there were two preliminary rounds to cut the field down to 20 countries, who then contested the five places for Africa in a group competition. Not just qualifying but doing well in the competition itself.". Most African teams missed September's Fifa period for international matches but national team activity has resumed this month. They are just trying to get some game time in preparation for Afcon qualifiers.”. "South Africa won against Ghana in the Afcon semi-final in 1996 and I still believe that if we have that belief and the right attitude, we will win against Ghana and qualify for Afcon. The winners will join the 26 highest-ranked sides in a 40-team, 10-group pool phase that will be played over 18 months. 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I mean the Afcon qualifiers coming up, we do need some good preparations for that. "When that happens, we will have players who will qualify for the World Cup. Ntseki gave an example of Zambia, who stunned favourites Ivory Coast in the final to clinch the 2012 Afcon title, and Bafana causing an upset against a much-fancied Ghana side in the semi-finals en route to winning the 1996 tournament. Ranbir Kapoor Spotted Riding A Sporty New Red Bike; Is That A Birthday Gift From His Girlfriend Alia Bhatt? But the attitude of the team and with the coach [Herve Renard] and his personality, being a winner, we saw Zambia doing very well," he added. All rights reserved, Please visit the official Government information portal for Coronavirus by clicking HERE. "I think we’ve got more quality that we can use for the team to qualify and do well. “I think at this stage it was very difficult to pick the team. “So I just hope they can hit the road running and get themselves in good shape before Afcon qualifiers start.”. “There was no real good training for everybody. “I believe that with the group that we have now and another talent that is waiting on the wings, we will have a very strong team going into Afcon and World Cup," he concluded. You can’t pick a team based on form because there was no much games and form going into these matches. The 50-year-old tactician took charge of the national team last year and he has been tasked with leading Bafana to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and 2022 Fifa World Cup finals. I have faith in the team. “They are going into this tournament which is very important. We are profiling them and we will bring them into the set-up. If we look back we will realize that we once had top players and many of them playing in Europe and doing very well there," Ntseki said on IOL. “He knows how he wants to play, he knows his opposition coming up in the qualifiers, he knows which formation he needs to employ. Bafana can still qualify - Serero. "If selected players get this opportunity they will all work hard, they all will lift their hands up to say, ‘you know what, by the time we reach the qualifiers, we are going to be at our best, will wish show the coach and everyone else that we are ready to play in Afcon.’. Afcon 2019: How Bafana Bafana can qualify A raft of injuries might have set back Stuart Baxter's team but Bafana Bafana remain well-placed to score a spot at AFCON 2019. So he needs to work on these things and I am sure he will. Sport Soccer Bafana. Former South Africa coach Gordon Igesund says there should not be much concern about the calibre of the national team’s opponents for the upcoming international friendly matches, but the focus should be placed on earning some game time ahead of next month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki omitted players like Kaizer Chiefs defender Eric Mathoho and SuperSport United forward Bradley Grobler, who was in top form last season. Qualifiers for the next World Cup in Qatar will be divided into three stages, with two rounds of knockout ties on either side of league competition, officials said. The changes come despite no alteration in the number of World Cup places for African teams. Bafana were pitted against Ghana for the 2021 Afcon and 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and Ntseki is confident that they have what it takes to qualify for both competitions. Fifa have left each continental confederation to decide their qualifying format for the 2022 World Cup, and set their own date for the preliminary round draw. The Bafana Bafana squad will have to pick themselves up from losing in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals to qualify for the World Cup. “If you remember how Zambia won the Afcon [in 2012], nobody gave them a chance. Caf have not announced the date of draw, but officials told Reuters on Monday it would be in Cairo at the end of the month. Africa’s World Cup qualifiers will overlap with qualifiers for the next Africa Cup of Nations in 2021, but a suggestion to combine them was rejected by Caf’s executive committee. “A strong national team will compete in the Cosafa Cup and dominate the region. The 28 lowest-ranked sides on the continent will first contest a knockout round over two legs, with the 14 winners advancing to the group stage. “It’s an opportunity for the players to put their names down to be selected for important games that are coming up. The matches are in preparation for November’s back-to-back Afcon qualifiers against Sao Tome e Principe as Bafana Bafana seek to dislodge Ghana from the top spot in Group C where they are placed second. When that happens we will have a strong team. "At the moment it has been very difficult with this pandemic not only for Bafana Bafana but also for all countries and all of Africa. With this pandemic it has been very difficult for national team coaches and players to find their form,” Igesund told Goal. ", Copyright © 2020 Goal.com All rights reserved. “If we have a top league in South Africa, we will have top players. South Africa head coach Molefi Ntseki believes the current Bafana Bafana team can qualify for the upcoming major international competitions. He will be able to see which player can or cannot do what he expects them to do against much tougher opposition. But Igesund feels for Ntseki, saying it has not been easy for most coaches to select their squad as the coronavirus pandemic interrupted football around the world. © 2020 Independent Online and affiliated companies. "It is important to have a top league because we can export players. It has been an absolute nightmare for everybody to train and get some good matches against good opposition. "Whoever we have to play in the last 10 or last five, if the attitude is right and the belief is right, we will do well.". Everyone was short of match-fitness. by James Richardson 2019-07-01 20:44 Ntseki’s tenure as Bafana coach has so far yielded two victories and a defeat, but Igesund says there should not be worries about results from the upcoming friendlies as the coach can still build a more competitive side despite lockdown interruption. Both games will be played at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. The last time Bafana qualified for the World Cup finals was 18 years ago as they only participated in the 2010 tournament by virtue of being the host country. Ganderbal terrorist attack: Wreath laying ceremony of police constable held in Srinagar, Southgate warns absent trio they face battle to win back England spots, Netizens Trend Boycott Mirzapur S2 Hours After Trailer Launch Because of Ali Fazal, Farhan Akhtar.