South Africa secured a commanding 5-0 victory over Eritrea in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match held on Wednesday in Cairo. The result was highlighted by Relebohile Mofokeng’s first two international goals, supported by strikes from Yaya Sithole, Iqraam Rayners, and Luther Singh.

The Group D fixture took place at Cairo’s Al Salam Stadium, a neutral venue chosen due to Eritrea’s lack of a stadium meeting international standards. Although Eritrea is ranked 134 places below South Africa in the FIFA world rankings, they initially showed resilience, pressing the South African defense and testing goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams early in the match.

Mofokeng, 21, who plays for a Belgian club, opened the scoring in the 19th minute, giving South Africa the lead. The momentum shifted decisively after that goal, with Mofokeng doubling the advantage just before half-time. The match was played in front of a sparsely filled crowd in the 30,000-seat stadium.

In the second half, Yaya Sithole extended South Africa’s lead early on, followed by Iqraam Rayners, who ended a six-match goal drought for South African forwards with a powerful strike past Eritrean goalkeeper Yonathan Sultan. Substitute Luther Singh sealed the win during stoppage time, completing the 5-0 scoreline.

The victory places South Africa five points ahead of both Kenya and Eritrea in Group D. Guinea remains in contention but without any points; they have a chance to narrow the gap to three points if they defeat Kenya in an upcoming match in Conakry.

Kenya, as one of the three co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Tanzania and Uganda, automatically qualify for the tournament. Consequently, South Africa, Eritrea, and Guinea are competing for the single remaining qualification spot from the group.