Overview
- South Africa will host Kenya at Orlando Amstel Arena with kick-off set for 18:00 on Friday, 13 November and the return leg scheduled for Tuesday, 17 November in Nairobi; SABC and DStv/SuperSport will broadcast the matches live.
- Coach Pitso Mosimane has named his squad and held the first training session at Milpark Stadium while saying captain Ronwen Williams and midfielder Teboho Mokoena will undergo final medical assessments before selection.
- Kenya arrive with automatic qualification as a 2027 co-host, but coach Benni McCarthy has publicly complained that players and technical staff have not been paid for several camps, a dispute that he says has disrupted preparations.
- South Africa lead Group D on six points and can move closer to securing the group’s remaining AFCON berth with positive results in the two fixtures, which also affect Guinea and Eritrea’s chances.
- The tie doubles as a high-profile managerial test between Mosimane and McCarthy and comes after Mosimane’s September return to the national job following Hugo Broos’s tenure, giving the matches extra tactical and reputational weight.