Mosimane is the most successful coach in South African football history and while his tenure with Bafana did not deliver Cup of Nations qualification, there are few who know continental football better than the former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly tactician.
He believes Bafana have as good a chance as any at the 2025 finals in Morocco as they prepare to face Angola in their opener on Monday.
“(Head coach) Hugo Broos, Helman Mkhalele, and the rest of the technical team have done a good job in terms of putting this team together. They’ve got it right,” Mosimane said in his column for News24.
“That’s why the team is not only appearing in back-to-back AFCONs, but they finished third at the last tournament and next year we are going to the World Cup.
“The team is balanced because they are able to vary their game, including being able to be physical when they are needed to. We have to applaud the Premier Soccer League clubs for that because they have invested a lot in the sport science and conditioning of their players.
“This, and Bafana bolstering their technical team with more analysts and sport scientists, puts them in a good position.”
Mosimane believes the current group have the quality to go all the way, even if they are not favourites.
“I believe that Bafana Bafana have the capacity to win the Cup of Nations. The reason I say that is because they came third at the last AFCON. They have set a very high bar for themselves, and they can only get better from that.
“After reaching the semi-finals at the last AFCON, they will want to go one step further and reach the final, and when you are in the final, you might as well win the tournament.
“Bafana are not like the other contenders, and that difference is something that can work in their favour.
“The continent’s eyes are fixed on teams like Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and, obviously, Morocco. These teams have players who ply their trade in some of the best leagues in the world.
“Bafana don’t have that; they don’t have that tag of a super team. We only have Lyle Foster playing in England, but no one in the other top European leagues, like Ligue 1, La Liga, Bundesliga or Serie A.
“Our squad is largely made up of players who are in the PSL. But it’s not easy to deal with PSL teams.”
Mosimane says Bafana’s style of play, which is almost unique on the African continent, makes them a handful for all sides.
“The biggest plus for us is that we are different. We play football differently to how teams in the north and even the west play. Our short passing game is our biggest advantage. It gets to the nerves of our opponents,” he said.
“African football is a different beast. You can’t just look at the paper and say that this one will win.
“You must play for one another. You must be hungry. You mustn’t be intimidated by the team sheet, because when you look at the names in the team sheet of Mali, for instance, you will start sweating before you even play the game.”