Bafana Bafana will have to negotiate their way past Nigeria, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho if they want qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.
This was confirmed during a draw held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, following the 45th CAF ordinary general assembly on Thursday evening.
Bafana have not qualified for the World Cup since the 2002 Korea/Japan tournament. They did, however, play in the 2010 finals as hosts.
Meanwhile, nine African spots – an increase of four – that are up for grabs and only the group winners will gain automatical qualification to the World Cup.
Group A:
Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
Group B:
Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan
Group C:
Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho
Group D:
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, eSwatini, Mauritius
Group E:
Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea
Group F:
Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, The Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles
Group G:
Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia
Group H:
Tunisia, Equitorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome And Principe
Group I:
Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad
