With a win here, Zimbabwe is through to the next stage of the AFCON tournament, but they have a formidable South Africa across the field. Bafana Bafana needs a point to advance to the knockout phase, and the way they played so far, that’s completely reachable.
The tournament in Morocco is highly interesting so far, and we’ve seen plenty of unexpected results; therefore, nothing is impossible in this event. Zimbabwe has nothing to lose and must push hard, while the South African unit knows they can’t relax or slow down for a second; otherwise, they risk creating numerous complications for themselves.
Bafana Bafana is the favorite here, but that doesn’t have to mean anything. For more AFCON odds, just follow this link.
Zimbabwe VS South Africa Preview
Zimbabwe
After letting a lead slip in their 2-1 loss to Egypt on the opening day and then settling for a 1-1 draw with Angola in their second match, Zimbabwe sits last in Group B. And to be honest, they haven’t deserved that. Though, even the slightest error at AFCON costs a lot, and they learned it the hard way.
Musona's beautiful finish for Zimbabwe is today's @1xBet_Eng Goal of the Day! ⚽️🇿🇼#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/kO9JYxYuhb
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 27, 2025
Zimbabwe needs a win here to have any shot at sneaking into the knockout rounds, even as one of the better third-placed teams. However, their recent run of form, during which they have won only once in their past 8 appearances, suggests that might be asking a lot.
Crashing out at the group stage would be nothing new for Zimbabwe either, having failed to progress beyond this point in all five of their previous AFCON appearances. Still, the fact that they have nothing to lose here could push them beyond their limits. Not having any pressure is very, very beneficial sometimes.
South Africa
South Africa comes into this match in much better mood than its rivals. With far more experience at this level and a stronger track record, having reached the quarter-finals in three of their last four AFCON tournaments, Bafana Bafana’s position is excellent.
Host nation gets a penalty and the rules are changed to benefit them.
But it’s not a penalty for South Africa against Egypt because suddenly they want to “stick to the rules.”
AFCON referees are already spoiling games, and it’s not looking good at all. pic.twitter.com/lUFHAwl2FN
— Kara (@UTDKara) December 26, 2025
A draw would be enough to see them progress, thanks to their head-to-head advantage over Angola, whom they beat in their opener. For all those who forgot, they then experienced a narrow 1-0 loss against Egypt.
This is a hard-working team that knows how to behave in situations when they have to defend and protect the result, and we’ve seen that in the near past. Also, just to mention again, the team had 12 straight games without a loss prior to the defeat against the Pharaons.
Zimbabwe VS South Africa Head to Head
Some two and a half months ago, these two sides met in the World Cup qualifiers, and there were no winners here, 0-0. That match was in Zimbabwe, and the first in South Africa saw the hosts winning 3-1. In between, South Africa also won in the COSAFA Cup, 2-0
Zimbabwe VS South Africa Predictions
Zimbabwe has to attack; that’s the catch here. This team needs to be aggressive and press, meaning that the initiative should be on their side. Though, we can’t see them breaching South Africa’s block and defensive line, and even if they do, that’ll be maybe once.
On the other hand, Bafana Bafana will use its regular tactics: a hard approach in midfield, lying back and waiting for the rival’s mistake, and patience. So far, that has given results.
All in all, we won’t bet on the final outcome here, but rather on the low efficiency due to all the above-mentioned. Under 2.5 goals is the top pick for this contest, and we are all in on that. It’s much safer to bet on that than anything else.
