Egypt vs South Africa is an international friendly at Cairo International Stadium on Sunday 4 October 2026, kick-off 20:00 South African time (18:00 UTC). We are not publishing a pick on this match, because we do not price friendlies, and this page explains why. Bafana Bafana arrive with two wins from two in AFCON 2027 qualifying under Pitso Mosimane, 2-1 against Guinea and 5-0 against Eritrea. Egypt drew 0-0 with Angola and then won away to South Sudan. The last meeting, at the Africa Cup of Nations in December 2025, went 1-0 to Egypt from a Mohamed Salah penalty.
The fixture, on three sources
All three were checked on 1 October 2026, and on this one they agree completely.
| Source | Date | Kick-off as published | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN international friendlies feed | Sunday 4 October 2026 | 18:00 UTC, which is 20:00 SAST | Cairo International Stadium |
| EWN report on the fixture | Sunday 4 October 2026 | 20:00 South African time | Cairo International Stadium |
| Briefly News report on the fixture | Sunday 4 October 2026 | 20:00 South African time | Cairo International Stadium |
It is Bafana’s second match in Cairo in five days. The AFCON qualifier against Eritrea on 30 September was also played in the Egyptian capital, at Al Salam Stadium, because Eritrea’s home fixture was staged at a neutral venue. Mosimane knows the city well: he coached Al Ahly from 2020 to 2022.
Bafana Bafana under Pitso Mosimane
Mosimane took over after Hugo Broos stepped down following the 2026 World Cup. These are his two matches in charge, both AFCON 2027 qualifiers and both on our graded log.
| Date | Match | Venue | Score | South Africa scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 26 September 2026 | South Africa v Guinea | Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg | 2-1 | Listed on our Bafana Bafana page |
| Wednesday 30 September 2026 | Eritrea v South Africa | Al Salam Stadium, Cairo | 0-5 | Relebohile Mofokeng 2, Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners, Luther Singh |
The Eritrea result was confirmed on the ESPN AFCON qualifying feed and in reports from IOL and Briefly News, which also confirm six points from two matches. Mofokeng scored twice before half-time and Oswin Appollis set up three goals. Mosimane after the match, as reported by IOL: “Rele showed his class. What a class. Rele is a top player!”
Egypt this month, and the last meeting
- Egypt 0-0 Angola, AFCON 2027 qualifier. This one is on our own graded log, because we picked Egypt at 67 percent and the draw cost us the pick.
- South Sudan 0-5 Egypt, Tuesday 29 September 2026, Juba National Stadium. Read from the ESPN AFCON qualifying feed, which credits Omar Marmoush with two of the goals.
- Egypt 1-0 South Africa, December 2025, Africa Cup of Nations. Salah scored from the penalty spot, and Egypt finished the match with ten men. Confirmed in both the EWN and Briefly News reports on this fixture.
We have not published an all-time head-to-head total. One report we read gives a full count of meetings, and we could not find a second source carrying the same figure, so it stays off the page until we can.
The original number: our graded picks on both sides
Every pick we have published involving Egypt or South Africa, read off the public log on our home page on 1 October 2026. Nothing has been removed.
| Match | Competition | Our pick | Result | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa v Guinea | AFCON 2027 qualifier | South Africa, 58%, good | 2-1 | WIN |
| Eritrea v South Africa | AFCON 2027 qualifier | South Africa, 74%, strong | 0-5 | WIN |
| Egypt v Angola | AFCON 2027 qualifier | Egypt, 67%, good | 0-0 | LOSS |
| Egypt v South Africa | International friendly | No pick | Sunday 4 October | NOT PRICED |
Across the wider AFCON qualifying column the log shows 14 graded picks, 9 wins and 5 losses, 64 percent. Four of those five losses were draws: Tunisia against Botswana, Mozambique against Senegal, Egypt against Angola and Tunisia against Uganda. Only Sierra Leone’s 3-2 defeat by Zimbabwe lost outright. Qualifying football at this level is close and cagey, and the draw is the result that keeps beating us in it. That is a real pattern in our own numbers, and it is one more reason we are not willing to put a figure on a friendly with even less riding on it.
Why there is no pick on this match
Our published rule is that friendlies and sports we do not model get no pick at all, and the rule is stated in the grading notes on our home page. A friendly is a different game from a qualifier. Squads are used to look at players, substitutions come in waves, and neither side needs the result. Every input we use to set a confidence figure, the stakes, the expected line-up and the recent form of the eleven that will start, is weaker than usual, and the honest response is to publish nothing rather than a number we cannot stand behind. The same rule kept the MMA section of this site pick-free.
It is also the difference between a record and a highlight reel. A site that only showed its winners could add a friendly whenever it felt confident and quietly skip it otherwise. We publish before kick-off, grade after it, and leave the losses up. A pick we never made cannot flatter the column, and a pick we would have had to guess cannot be graded fairly.
Read next
- Bafana Bafana fixtures, kick-off times and our graded picks
- MTN8 final, 10 October: Orlando Pirates v Mamelodi Sundowns
- Mamelodi Sundowns v Durban City, 1 November
- Soweto Derby, 31 October: date, time and our pick
- Every Betway Premiership fixture after the break, with our picks
- The Betway Premiership log, with points per game
- Betway Premiership hub
- Football betting tips today
Predictions on this site are published for information only and are not betting advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. 18+ only. Betting involves risk and you can lose money, so never stake more than you can afford to lose. Free and confidential help is available from the South African National Responsible Gambling Programme on 0800 006 008, 24 hours a day.