PREVIEW: Bafana Bafana ready to get down to Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup business

The 23rd edition of the COSAFA Cup gets underway in Gqeberha on Wednesday with the final on July 7.

The tournament will see 11 nations from the region and invited guests Kenya do battle in the Friendly City.

Eswatini and Botswana will kick off this year’s edition at the Nelson Mandela Stadium at 15:00 before the hosts, Bafana, entertain Mozambique at the venue at 18:00.

Led by the national team assistant coach Helman Mkhalele, a makeshift Bafana side will be looking for a positive start in Group A.

Despite playing at home, SA have been disappointing in the past two editions of the tournament as they couldn’t make the final.

In 2022, under Mkhalele’s tutelage, Bafana were knocked out at the quarter-final stage.

Last year, the South Africans finished third when they were led by Botswana-based coach Morena Ramoreboli.

In fact, the last time Bafana won the COSAFA Cup in 2021, Ramoreboli oversaw the team in Gqeberha.

READ: Devin Titus, Jaedin Rhodes, Ethan Brooks headline Helman Mkhalele’s Bafana Bafana squad for Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup

Announcing his 23-man squad for the tourney, Mkhalele said COSAFA Cup gives them a perfect opportunity to blood new players into the national team system and increase the selection pool going forward.

“As the technical team, we view the COSAFA Cup as a great opportunity for us to increase the database of our team by giving players exposure and the international experience that we will need for the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations as well as the FIFA World Cup qualifiers,” Mkhalele said.

“We have observed during the AFCON that African football has improved drastically, so for us to sustain the current performance of Bafana, and improve it, it is important that we have players who can perform at that level without any doubt. We are excited to participate in this COSAFA Cup.”