South Africa — Eritrea
Group D pairs South Africa with Eritrea over two legs.
On ranking alone South Africa start ahead, 54 to 184.
Both legs
| Matchday | Home | Away | Match window | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Eritrea | South Africa | September 21 – October 6, 2026 | to be confirmed |
| 6 | South Africa | Eritrea | March 22 – March 30, 2027 | to be confirmed |
Kick-off times are shown as to be confirmed because CAF has published windows, not individual dates.
Where these teams are shown
| Country | Where to watch | Status |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | SABC Sport | Free to air Held rights for the 2025 edition |
| South Africa | SuperSport (DStv, GOtv) | Subscription Held rights for the 2025 edition |
The rights column states which edition each broadcaster is confirmed for, not which one it is assumed to carry.
The group context
Both sides play six qualifiers in Group D. How many go through has not been announced.
Common questions
- When do South Africa and Eritrea play?
- Two matches, on matchdays 2 and 6, inside the September 21 – October 6, 2026 and March 22 – March 30, 2027 windows. CAF has published the pairings and the windows but not the dates or kick-off times: those are agreed federation by federation a few weeks before each window. We show them as to be confirmed rather than invent them.
- What is the head-to-head record between South Africa and Eritrea?
- No meetings between South Africa and Eritrea appear in our records. That is not the same as never having played: coverage of African football before the 2000s is patchy in every public database, including ours. What it does mean is that neither side arrives with a recent result against the other.
- Which side is stronger on paper?
- South Africa is the higher-ranked side, at #54 against #184 — a gap of 130 places on the FIFA list published on July 20, 2026. Over six qualifying matches that gap matters less than it looks: home advantage, travel and squad availability during international windows decide more African qualifiers than ranking does.
- Where can I watch South Africa vs Eritrea?
- Broadcasters listed for both countries are shown above, each labelled with the edition it is confirmed for. Rights to the 2027 finals are still almost entirely unsold, so a channel marked for the qualifiers or for 2025 tells you nothing about 2027. We label rather than assume.