Aaron Mokoena: Bafana Bafana's Afcon mission to ‘raise the bar'
Mokoena though, said it was the best way for Bafana to prove themselves.
Improving on their previous exploits, however, will be no easy feat as it would mean making the final of the African showpiece footballing event.
Bafana famously went on to finish third at Afcon last year, and with the next tournament coming up in Morocco in December - the current crop of SA stars will have another chance to show how much progress they have made.
Former Bafana Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena believes South Africa can go even further than they did at the previous Africa Cup of Nations ( Afcon ).
Raising the Bar: South African Football's Triumphs and Future Prospects
'Going there, it's all about really raising the bar. It's never easy. I have tasted that. I know it's never easy to play in the African Cup of Nations. But I always say to be the best, you have to rub shoulders with the best. And on our continent, you get the best in the Africa Cup of Nations,' Mokoena told SportsBoom.co.za.
'Hopefully, the guys will absolutely raise the bar. I think it's been a good year, not only for Bafana Bafana. Let's look from the bottom. We had under-17 qualify for the World Cup, the Under-20s have won the African Cup of Nations and have qualified for the World Cup, and now our Bafana have qualified for the African Cup of Nations. We're in a good position now to qualify for the World Cup as Bafana Bafana.'
With Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates both making it to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League (the Brazilians also made it to the final), it was another satisfying year for SA football fans, believed Mokoena.
'I remember we came back with the bronze (AFCON 2024) and it's been a good year for South African football, really. I mean, we had Sundowns competing in the CAF Champions League, which is good for Bafana Bafana. We had Orlando Pirates competing in the Champions League. That's a plus. We had Stellenbosch competing in the Confederation Cup.
'So, the more we have teams competing in African competitions, the better for our South African football. I mean, next season, to show that there is a progression, there is growth among the players and the clubs, we will have four teams that will be participating in the African continent competition.'
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