BAFANA BAFANA will Monday find out which path they have to traverse if they are to once again become African champions. South Africa's senior national team will be among the 24 countries focused on Rabat, Morocco, where the draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be taking place.
The biennial continental showpiece will be hosted by the north African country from December this year to January of 2026 in probably four cities yet to be announced. At Monday night’s draw, the 24 countries will be put into six groups of four, with the top two progressing to the knockout stage where they will be joined by the four best third-placed teams.
Bafana are among the second seeds as per the latest Fifa rankings. Coach Hugo Broos, his technical team, and the players, along with the country, will no doubt be hoping for a kind draw. The reality, though, is that at this level of the game, there are no easy draws.
Looking at the seedlings and the potential opponents for Bafana, here's what we think would be the best and worst draws for the country's senior national team.
BEST DRAW: Algeria, South Africa, Gabon, Botswana
This is not to say these countries are easy opponents because of the development of the game on the international stage, but Bafana should have the beating of any of these three.
Algeria are underachievers at AFCON, and having held them 3-3 in their own backyard when the two countries last met, Broos and his boys will be confident against the Desert Foxes. Gabon are arguably the weakest of the teams seeded third, and of those in Pot 4, our neighbours the Zebras are opposition Bafana must fancy their chances against.
WORST DRAW: Morocco, South Africa, Angola, Sudan
Now this is what I consider a Group of Death for Bafana. You never want to play the host nation — they are at home where they will enjoy partisan support, and that is always a motivator for teams to give their all. But this is the Atlas Lions we are talking about, the continent's N o 1 ranked nation, in their own backyard — you'd rather meet them much later in the competition, right?
Angola are fast improving, as we saw at the previous tournament in Ivory Coast where they finished in fifth place. They topped their qualifying group, which included Ghana, and that is sure to see them cock-a-hoop in Morocco.
Sudan are arguably the fastest improving football nation on the continent, and they too upset the Black Stars in qualifying. Despite the fact that their country is devastated by a long-running civil war, the footballers continue to give their country some hope, with the war being momentarily forgotten whenever that national team plays, according to their Ghanaian coach Media Appiah.
Sudan, though most of their players are now based in Mauritania — where their top clubs Al Hilal and Al Merrikh play in that league — will be one of the most motivated teams at the tournament. Bafana would do well to avoid them, at least in the group phase.
Football, though, is fickle at the top, and no matter which opposition a country draws, progressing past the group stage will require Bafana to be at their best. Their third-place finish at the last edition has raised hopes, and already talk among many fans is that they should win the tournament — 30 years after Neil Tovey lifted the continent's trophy.