Zebras’ inaction deliberate –BFA
Mqondisi Dube | Monday November 10, 2025 06:10
Nations that have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals will be engaged during next week's FIFA date to finalise preparations for next month's AFCON finals in Morocco.
The Zebras will be part of the contingent in Morocco, and instead of ramping up preparations towards the tournament, the local side will instead let the opportunity pass.
According to BFA CEO, Mfolo Mfolo, the mother body decided to trade off the FIFA week for the domestic league competition.
'It is not an opportunity missed for us. We are trading off the FIFA week to allow the Premier League games to continue, and then we will trade off the week so that we will have the team in full camp before the AFCON finals,' Mfolo said.
'So ordinarily, there is no loss for us. It is something that we have planned for,' he added.
Mfolo did not disclose the budget set aside for the Zebras' preparations, saying they were still discussing the figures with the government.
He, however, promised that the team will be involved in preparatory matches before heading out to Morocco.
'We will obviously play some international friendly matches before the AFCON tournament,' Mfolo said.
The Zebras are in group D with Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Senegal.
They kick off their campaign against Senegal on December 23 before facing Benin on December 27. The Zebras will wrap up their campaign against DRC on December 30.
Morena Ramoreboli's charges head to Morocco against a background of concerning form, with just one victory in the last nine matches.
In the September and October FIFA windows, the Zebras suffered three losses in four matches, and the coach would look to get his team firing again as they prepare for a tough opening assignment against Senegal.
This will be the Zebras' second AFCON finals appearance.