Broos ‘has brought belief’: Ronwen, Bafana eye going even further at Afcon 2025

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams had a world-class, award-studded 2024, leading the national team to their best year since the early 2000s or even late 1990s.

The bronze medal Bafana won under Hugo Broos at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast in January and February, their best finish in 24 years, was one of the shiny nuggets accumulated by Williams. Others were being nominated and placing seventh for the Ballon d'Or Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper in the world and winning the Confederation of African Football's interclub player and keeper of 2024.

It is stature that has not been achieved by a Bafana player in a long time and has accompanied a snowball effect on Bafana's success last year. With Teboho Mokoena, Oswin Appollis, Thalente Mbatha, Sphephelo Sithole, Aubrey Modiba and Khuliso Mudau stepping up to the international stage with glee, and built on a core of Sundowns players who have cut their teeth in the Champions League for years, Bafana followed the Afcon achievement by going unbeaten until the end of the year.

Monday night's draw in Rabat for the 35th Afcon, which will kick off in Morocco on December 21 this year and conclude on January 18 2026, pits South Africa against Egypt, Angola and Zimbabwe in group B.

A now seemingly definite turnaround in South African football, after so many false dawns in two decades of appalling underachievement, is further indicated by three South African clubs confirming their place in the quarterfinals of this season's major Confederation of African Football interclub competitions.

Williams' team Mamelodi Sundowns, now serial qualifiers for the Caf Champions League knockout stages, having made that entry for the seventh consecutive time, will this season be accompanied by Orlando Pirates. Steve Barker's tough Stellenbosch FC have reached the Caf Confederation Cup quarterfinals at the first time of asking.

All this, Williams says, adds up to a positive environment and growing confidence that will benefit Bafana going into the next Afcon, perhaps, dare one say it, even as challengers.

“It’s been good,” Williams — who registered his name in Afcon history in Ivory Coast, stopping four penalties in the quarterfinal shoot-out against Cape Verde — said of the state of South African football ahead of Monday's draw.

“We're moving in the right direction, and we are where we want to be as a country. It has taken time and we're there now and we need to stay there, to keep believing that we can achieve good things.

“Last year this time there was only one team [in the quarterfinals, Sundowns] and this year having three is amazing. It can only help the national team too because more players will have the experience of playing on the continent, playing against the best. I'm excited about the direction we're going, it's positive.”

It says something about the national team's new confidence — from notching a number of results against big teams in the last year-and-a-half, including two wins against Morocco and a draw in Nigeria — that ahead of Monday's draw Williams could smile and say he was not overly concerned who Bafana draw.

“We know it's the best of the best and whoever is there we need to prepare accordingly. We've got the experience now, we've tasted what Afcon is about. The players are doing well, and the coach knows what needs to be done to be successful at Afcon. We're fully behind the coach and we've got a good thing going now. Hopefully, 10 months from now when the tournament starts everyone is healthy and fresh so we can go there with all our soldiers.”

Williams spoke of a busy 2025 where in March the clubs not only continue in their Caf quarters but Bafana resume their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign where Broos's side have put themselves in a strong position in a group that includes Nigeria, Lesotho, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Benin and Zimbabwe.   

The keepers who were there in our last camp [Williams, Chaine and Stephens] are also the three keepers in the knockout stages of the Champions League and Confederation Cup. It can only help us. It will help Sipho, and it will help Sage, and you can see the level they're playing at now. They can only get better.

—  Ronwen Williams

"[Competing] can only help us. Like I said, most of the players will have the experience of playing against the best on the continent. Playing on the continent comes with its own challenges. The conditions, the travelling and the players, I won't say they're used to it, but they understand it now.

“It's not an issue for us any more, whereas before there were a lot of excuses because we were not used to it. But now we know what to do. We know it's going to be tough. We always tell each other, 'It's not your mother's house so don't expect good things when you go there.' That's the mentality we go there with. We've got a job to do. Win or get a draw that is going to help us. 

"[Having three teams in the Caf quarters] can only help us because now there's going to be a bigger pool of players for the coach to choose from. Playing in the knockout stages on the continent is not easy. You're up against the best and it can only take your game to the next level.”

Williams no longer fears he will be the only goalkeeper Bafana can rely on, pointing out that Pirates and Stellies' Caf progressions can help, and already have been helping, to nurture Sipho Chaine and Sage Stephens, his increasingly impressive national team backups. 

There were concerns in that department last year when Williams got injured amid the qualifiers for Afcon 2025, with AmaZulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa making some blunders when given a chance. His place behind Williams has since been taken by Chaine and Stephens.

“Not at all,” Williams said, asked if he has concerns about the state of goalkeeping in South Africa. “If you look at last year, five goalkeepers played [for Bafana]. I'm happy to sometimes sit out.

“That's a conversation that sometimes happens with the coach. You can see whenever there's friendly games, he's given others a chance. When last did we say that about Bafana Bafana? And they not just played but they've done well.

“The keepers who were there in our last camp [Williams, Chaine and Stephens] are also the three keepers in the knockout stages of the Champions League and Confederation Cup. It can only help us. It will help Sipho, and it will help Sage, and you can see the level they're playing at now. They can only get better.” 

Williams credited Broos with helping boost Bafana since taking over from Molefi Ntseki in May 2021, almost immediately bringing life to the team as he hand-picked youngsters and came close to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, a precursor to last year's successes.

“Just to believe,” said Williams of the effect the 72-year-old Belgian has had.

“Since day one he said, 'Guys, if you don't believe, then I might as well not be here.' He has brought that belief before he even knew any of us. He said we needed to believe we could be part of the big tournaments and not only be part but go all the way.

“At first we didn't believe but then in the first six months of him being there we almost qualified for the World Cup. There was one special game against Ghana [away, where a highly contested penalty cost Bafana their place in Qatar] where we obviously lost. That's how football is, but we learnt from that.

“That's exactly what that defeat and not going to the 2022 World Cup did to us. That comeback must be even stronger [after such a setback]. We had so much anger, so much energy that we were so close and yet to so far — that pushed us to even greater heights.

“Ever since then we've been amazing. I don't think we lost many games in the last three years and we've beaten so many of the big teams and we just want to keep going.”