Bafana Bafana defender Ime Okon says the mood in camp ahead of the international friendly with Egypt in Cairo on Sunday is an excited one.
The two countries will renew rivalries at the Cairo International Stadium with South Africa looking to end the international break on a high after back-to-back wins over Guinea and Eritrea in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The last time Bafana and the Pharaohs met in a competitive match was at the 2025 AFCON in the group stage in Morocco where the latter won 1-0 thanks to a contentious Mohamed Salah penalty.
Okon, 22, said everyone is camp is excited to test themselves against the best.
“As we know, Egypt is one of the biggest teams in Africa,” Okon told Safa.net.
“And as a player, you always want to play the best teams always want to challenge yourself. I think the feeling within the team is very, very excited to play against them and test ourselves and show them basically what we are about also. I think all the guys are really excited and looking forward to the game.”
The current FIFA break has been unusually longer spilling over two weeks and the Hannover 96 man says it hasn’t felt dreadful especially because the team is winning.
“I think we’ve adjusted well [to the beak],” he added.
“The group, we know each other quite well. So it’s been long, but it hasn’t really been long for us. We get along well and we’re winning also.
“So it’s a good feeling in the camp, we’re just enjoying the time here now.”