THE long wait is finally over, and Bafana Bafana have discovered their path for possible qualification to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) set to take place in Cote d’Ivoire.
Hugo Broos has been dying to find out his side’s opponents for the Afcon qualifiers and must have watched with keen interest.
His side were drawn in a tough Group K alongside Morocco, neighbours Zimbabwe and Liberia in the draw held at the SuperSport studios in Randburg, Joburg on Tuesday.
A total of 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups of four teams (Group A to L) with the top two teams from each group qualifying for next year’s tournament.
Bafana will be eager to put behind them the demons of the last Afcon qualifying campaign which saw them miss out on the showpiece which took place in Cameroon early this year.
Molefi Ntseki’s side only needed a draw in their final group match against Sudan away from home but somehow connived to lose that match and miss out on the competition.
The last time Bafana took part in the Afcon was back in 2019 when it was staged in Egypt, and they reached the quarterfinals under the guidance of Stuart Baxter.
Broos’ Bafana will head into the qualifiers with some confidence having tested themselves against world champions France and Guinea in friendly matches last month.
“We needed opponents stronger than us to be strong,” said Broos.
“Players know that we’re still a lot of work to do. We should be ready before the Afcon qualifiers. I am working hard for us to be ready”
“The fans must rally behind the team and Hugo Broos,” said Bafana legend Lucas Radebe, who was one of the draw assistants alongside Ivorian Solomon Kalou.
“Let’s give him some time. Now is the time that we can get the team that can win things.”
Groups
Group A
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Guinea Bissau
Sudan
Group B
Burkina Faso
Cape Verde
Togo
Eswatini
Group C
Cameroon
Kenya
Namibia
Burundi
Group D
Egypt
Guinea
Malawi
Ethiopia
Group E
Ghana
Madagascar
Angola
Central African Republic
Group F
Algeria
Uganda
Niger
Tanzania
Group G
Mali
Congo
The Gambia
South Sudan
Group H
Cote d’Ivoire
Zambia
Comoros
Lesotho
Group I
DR Congo
Gabon
Mauritania
Sudan
Group J
Tunisia
Equatorial Guinea
Libya
Botswana
Group K
Morocco
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Liberia
Group L
Senegal
Benin
Mozambique
Rwanda
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