On paper, Bafana Bafana should easily qualify for the 2027 CAF Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The qualifying draw, conducted in Egypt on Tuesday, placed South Africa in Group D alongside co-hosts Kenya, Guinea, and Eritrea.
The opening two rounds of qualifiers are scheduled for the September/October FIFA international window.
Matchdays three and four will take place in November.
The qualification campaign will then conclude in March 2027.
A total of 48 nations are competing in the qualifiers following the completion of the preliminary round, with only 24 teams set to qualify for the final tournament.
The top two teams from each group will normally book their place at the continental showpiece.
However, in groups containing one of the tournament co-hosts, only the highest-ranked team outside of Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda will qualify automatically for the finals.
CAF has already confirmed that the 2027 AFCON tournament will kick off on 19 June 2027, while the final is scheduled to take place on 17 July 2027.
Bafana will be hoping to secure qualification and continue their recent resurgence under coach Hugo Broos as they target another strong continental campaign.
Interestingly, they will meet Kenya, who are coached by Bafana’s all-time leading goalscorer Benni McCarthy in the qualifying rounds.
But also notable is that McCarthy is one of the coaches tipped to take over Bafana should Broos decide to retire after the World Cup.