South Africa — Guinea

Group D pairs South Africa with Guinea over two legs.

FIFA ranking: #54 · AFCON titles: 1

FIFA ranking: #81 · AFCON titles: 0

Head coach: Paulo Duarte

South Africa come in 27 places higher in the FIFA ranking (54 against 81).

Previous meetings

South Africa lead the head-to-head, 1 wins to 0 from 2 meetings, with 1 drawn.

Meetings2
South Africa1
Guinea0
Draws1

Last meeting: August 11, 2025, South Africa 2–1 Guinea (African Nations Championship).

Source: API-Football

Both legs

Matchday Home Away Match window Kick-off
1 South Africa Guinea September 21 – October 6, 2026 to be confirmed
5 Guinea South Africa 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

CountryWhere to watchStatus
South AfricaSABC SportFree to air Held rights for the 2025 edition
South AfricaSuperSport (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.

Group D →

Common questions

When do South Africa and Guinea play?
Two matches, on matchdays 1 and 5, 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 Guinea?
They have met 2 time(s) in the records we hold. South Africa lead 1–0 with 1 drawn, the last on August 11, 2025. Those meetings came in earlier qualifying campaigns and friendlies, not in this cycle, so they carry no weight in the group table.
Which side is stronger on paper?
South Africa is the higher-ranked side, at #54 against #81 — a gap of 27 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 Guinea?
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.