South Africa vs Angola: Mofokeng and Maestro, two promising young talents face off
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Mofokeng’s Moment? Bafana Bafana’s rising star ready to shine at AFCON 2025
Hugo Broos is one of the few head coaches who has placed his trust in locally-based players to perform at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Today marks the first test for the 2023 bronze medalists, and you can find all the key insights for this match in our South Africa vs Angola prediction.
One rising star that Bafana Bafana fans are eager to see in action is Relebohile Mofokeng, who arrives in Morocco as one of the nation’s most exciting attacking outlets and a player with all the ingredients to tilt games in his team’s favour.
Still only 21 years of age, Mofokeng’s greatest weapon is his versatility, as he is equally comfortable operating off either flank or in a central attacking role. He thrives off 1v1 situations and possesses the pace and trickery to ruffle feathers in even the most solid of opposing defences.
Following a serious injury that forced him to miss a large chunk of South Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Orlando Pirates star has rebounded superbly since returning to action and scored the winner in the Carling Cup final earlier this month, bringing an end to the Bucs’ 13-year wait for the domestic cup title.
Prior to that, the dribbling wizard produced a string of Man of the Match performances, which earned him the club’s Player of the Month award for November and December at a landslide with 49% of the votes, ahead of Oswin Appollis, who received 18%.
Across the 2024-25 season, Mofokeng registered 13 goals and 13 assists for club and country in 44 starts. His headline stats included a 31.8% dribbling success rate, 81.2% pass conversion, and 34.8% tackle success, which underlines his work rate off the ball. You can find more key stats in our AFCON 2025 predictions.
Against an Angola team that often defends in compact lines, Mofokeng’s willingness to take risks by drawing defenders out of shape and arriving late in the box could be crucial to helping create pockets of space for Bafana Bafana’s attackers to exploit.
Maestro Masterclass? Angola’s midfield general steps into the spotlight
If Hugo Broos plans to utilise youthful energy and directness to unlock Angola’s defensive lines, Patrice Beaumelle may look to counter his opponent’s gameplan by trying to control the tempo of the game and disrupt Bafana’s rhythm by making the midfield battle a physical one.
In that case, Angola will look to Maestro! The midfielder is the heartbeat of this Palancas Negras side, and can slow the game when needed or accelerate attacks at the right moments, while ensuring the team’s engine room remains structurally sound even when forced on the back foot.
The 22-year-old’s greatest strength is his game intelligence and passing range. Operating in the midfield, primarily as the link between defence and attack, he excels at creating space in tight areas thanks to his physical stature and can find key passes to bring his forwards into play.
Unlike Mofokeng, who is a pure dribbler, Maestro is a key decision-maker, and his vision is second to none. This could be especially crucial if South Africa commits numbers going forward, as it will allow the Angolan playmaker to exploit gaps in behind with his progressive passing.
His stats underline the control he brings to the team. For his club, Alanyaspor, in the Turkish Super Lig, Maestro has a ball retention rate of around 92%, a 93.9% pass success rate, which includes 74% progressive passes and a 76.2% dribbling success rate.
Defensively, Maestro’s role is subtle but no less important as his ability to retain possession and draw fouls could frustrate Bafana and limit the influence of their more explosive players - including Mofokeng, as well as the likes of Appollis, Teboho Mokoena and Sipho Mbule.
South Africa vs Angola - Match Details
Date: December 22, 2026
Time: 19:00 (SAST), 18:00 (WAT), 17:00 (GMT)
Venue: Stade de Marrakech, Morocco
How to watch: SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa); Channel 4 (UK), or via our AFCON 2025 livescores
Referee: Mahmood Ismail (Sudan)
