South Africa vs Angola Prediction: Can Bafana Bafana handle the heat of Afcon?

South Africa vs Angola: Prediction for the Match on December 22, 2025

South Africa will start their 2025 AFCON campaign against Angola in Group A on Monday, December 22, at 20:00, at FNB Stadium (Soccer City). Angola has the edge in recent meetings, winning three of the last five, including a 3-0 win at the COSAFA Cup. However, South Africa are in better form and have a stronger defense. While Angola has had mixed results against tough teams, South Africa remain unbeaten in qualifiers.

South Africa: Form and Statistics

South Africa - WWWDD

South Africa, semi-finalists in the last AFCON two years ago, finished third after winning on penalties against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, they easily qualified for this year’s tournament by topping their group, ahead of Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan. They also secured their World Cup spot by defeating Nigeria, Benin, Lesotho, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe, including a 3-0 win over Rwanda. Last month, Bafana Bafana gained more confidence with a 3-1 win over Zambia. Angola, however, will not be in the next World Cup. Under coach Patrice Beaumelle, Angola finished fourth in their group, behind Cape Verde, Cameroon, and Libya, but ahead of Mauritius and Eswatini. Despite this, they topped their AFCON qualifying group ahead of Sudan, Niger, and Ghana. Last month, they played two friendly matches, losing 2-0 to Argentina but beating Zambia 3-2.

South Africa Team News

Most of the South African squad plays in the local league, with teams like Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates. A few players, such as defenders Ngezana (FCSB) and Smith (Queens Park Rangers), midfielder Stihole (Tondela), and striker Lyle Foster (Burnley), play in Europe. Foster has scored 8 goals in 20 appearances for his country. Watch for midfielder Mokoena (9 goals in 45 caps) and promising young player Appollis (19 caps, 5 goals). However, captain Zwane (51 caps, 12 goals) was not selected for this competition, along with attackers Hlongwane (18 caps, 4 goals, Minnesota United) and Mayambela (16 caps, 2 goals, Aris Limassol).

Angola: Form and Statistics

Angola - DDWLW

Angola won their final friendly 4-1 against Mozambique before the AFCON. They will open their campaign against South Africa in five days. Angola, coming off a 0-0 draw with Cameroon, is hoping to bounce back and secure a win against Bafana Bafana. In the match against Cameroon, Angola had 0% ball possession and no shots on goal. They failed to score. Looking at their last 8 matches, Angola has won 2, drawn 3, and lost 3. They average 1 goal per game but concede 1.3 goals per game. In that stretch, they’ve scored 8 goals and conceded 10. They’ve kept 1 clean sheet in official matches.

Angola Team News

Angola has several key players in Europe. In defense, there are Buata (Gil Vicente, 59 caps), Gaspar (Lecce, 46 caps), Bondo (Famalicao, 16 caps), and Mata (Lyon, 16 caps). In midfield, experienced players like captain Fredy (Bodrum, 66 caps, 4 goals), Show (FC Dallas, 60 caps), Nteka (Rayo Vallecano, 13 caps), and Mukendi (Vitoria Guimaraes) add strength. Up front, their top scorers are Gelson Dala (21 goals in 53 games) and Mabululu (14 goals in 42 games). Other European-based players like Zini (AEK Athens, 32 caps, 8 goals), Milson (31 caps, 5 goals), Luvumbo (Cagliari), Nzola (Pisa), and Benson (Swansea) also contribute, though they’ve been less decisive. Notably, Pallois Gaspar (8 caps) is missing from the list.

South Africa vs Angola Head-to-Head statistics

The match history between these two teams can be useful for your bets. We’ve considered it for this South Africa vs Angola prediction. The most recent meeting was at the COSAFA Cup on June 15, 2025, at Estádio Nacional de OMBAKA, where Angola won 3-0. In the last 5 meetings, South Africa won 3 times, and Angola won 2. South Africa scored 6 goals, while Angola scored 7 goals.

South Africa vs Angola: Betting Tips & Odds

• South Africa is in strong form, with three wins and two draws in their last five games. They kept clean sheets against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, drew 1-1 with Nigeria, and won 3-1 against Zambia in a friendly. Their defense is solid, and they are disciplined in midfield, aiming to control the game.
• Angola has shown quality but has been inconsistent. They beat Zambia and Mauritius, drew with Cameroon and Eswatini, and lost 2-0 to Argentina. While they have a good record against South Africa, conceding late goals could hurt them in this group opener.
• In their last 8 matches, South Africa, coached by M. Ntseki, has 3 wins and 5 draws. They average 1.6 goals per game and concede 0.8 goals per game. They have kept 2 consecutive clean sheets, scoring 13 goals and conceding 6.

South Africa vs Angola match prediction, 22nd December 2025

In 15 of the last 21 South Africa matches at the venue in the Africa Cup of Nations, there have been no more than two goals. The same trend has occurred in 10 of the last 15 top-flight matches involving Angola. So, we can expect a similar outcome when the two teams meet.

Our match prediction is Draw with odds at 2.84 on the 1Xbetbookmaker.

Our betting tip is BTTS (no) with odds at 1.68 on the Bc.game bookmaker.

Our last match prediction is 0-0 Correct score with odds at 8.00 on Betway bookmaker.