Pitso Mosimane is set to return as head coach of South Africa, more than a decade after his first spell in charge of Bafana Bafana.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) National Executive Committee (NEC) has approved Mosimane for the position, with the association saying a few final details still need to be resolved before the appointment is formally announced.
Mosimane is expected to replace Hugo Broos, whose contract with SAFA expired last month after he guided South Africa to a historic last 32 finish at the FIFA World Cup.
The appointment would mark the return of one of Africa’s most decorated coaches to international football and give Mosimane another opportunity to lead his country after building a highly successful club career across the continent and beyond.
“The NEC has approved the appointment of coach Pitso to Bafana Bafana, but we still need to tie up some loose ends. We will make a formal announcement of the coach next week,” SAFA President Danny Jordaan said in a statement.
Mosimane’s immediate priority will be South Africa’s qualification campaign for the Africa Cup of Nations, with the former Bafana Bafana coach expected to focus on securing the country’s place at the continental tournament.
The 61-year-old has been without a club since his spell with Iranian side Esteghlal ended in January 2025. His return to the national team would come after more than a decade of significant success at club level.
Mosimane’s coaching reputation was transformed during his time with Mamelodi Sundowns.
He guided the Pretoria-based club to five South African Premiership titles and helped establish them as one of the dominant forces in domestic football. His biggest achievement with Sundowns came in 2016, when he led the club to their first CAF Champions League title.
He also won two FA Cups and two League Cups during his time at the club.
His success at Sundowns earned him the opportunity to manage Egyptian giants Al Ahly, where his record on the continent became even more impressive.
Mosimane won the CAF Champions League with Al Ahly in 2020 and 2021, taking his personal tally to three titles. He also guided the Cairo club to three consecutive Champions League finals in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
That made him the first African coach to win the CAF Champions League three times.
His achievements with Al Ahly further strengthened his reputation as a coach capable of handling the enormous expectations surrounding one of Africa’s biggest clubs. He also added three CAF Super Cup titles to his collection.
Mosimane’s domestic record includes an Egyptian Premier League title with Al Ahly in the 2019-20 season and a Saudi First Division championship with Al Ahli Saudi FC in 2022-23.
Mosimane’s first association with the South African national team came as an assistant to Carlos Alberto Parreira before he succeeded the Brazilian as head coach following the 2010 World Cup.
That first spell produced mixed results, but Mosimane’s achievements after leaving the national team transformed his standing in African football.
His coaching career has since taken him across several football cultures, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
His return would therefore reunite Bafana Bafana with a coach whose experience has been shaped by years of competing for major continental honours.
For South Africa, the challenge now is to translate that experience into success at international level.
Mosimane will inherit a national side coming off a World Cup campaign that ended with a historic last 32 finish under Broos. His first major task will be to navigate the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and secure qualification for the continental showpiece.
For Mosimane, meanwhile, a return to Bafana Bafana represents another chapter in a career that has already made him one of the most successful African coaches of his generation.
If the remaining details are concluded as expected, his return will bring back a familiar figure to the South African national team more than 10 years after he first occupied the Bafana Bafana hotseat.
