Ba (Afcon), which will be held in Gabon.
The west African nation was yesterday announced as the hosts of the continent’s showpiece event when the draw for Afcon 2017 was made in Cairo. Gabon edged out two other bidders for the tournament – Ghana and Algeria. It is their second turn as hosts; the first being in 2012 when they co-hosted with neighbours Equatorial Guinea.
Bafana’s name came out of the hat in Group M, drawn alongside Cameroon, Gambia and Mauritania.
Fifty-two countries will be involved in the qualifying campaign for Afcon 2017, with the group winners, the two best second-placed teams and hosts Gabon making up the 16-team finals for the event.
In terms of Fifa rankings, Cameroon are 49th, Bafana 55th, Mauritania 115th and Gambia 168th.
Cameroon should provide Bafana with stern opposition, but head coach Shakes Mashaba will feel that it’s a good draw – one that provides his men with a fantastic opportunity to book a place in Gabon in two years’ time.
“Some may see this as a relatively easy group,” said Mashaba. “On paper it is, but on the field it is a different story altogether. There are no easy matches in international football anymore; football has changed and every country will give it a go.
“While we may know much about Cameroon, not much is said about Gambia and Mauritania, and those could be our banana peels. We have to do what we did during the 2015 qualifiers - be brave, show no respect, but, above all, prepare thoroughly and take nothing for granted. I am very happy with the draw and closer to the time we will reveal our plans as to how we will tackle the qualifiers.
South Africa’s 2017 Afcon qualifying fixtures:
South Africa vs Gambia (12, 13 or 14 June 2015).
Mauritania vs South Africa (4, 5 or 6 September 2015)
Cameroon vs South Africa (23,24, 25 or 26 March 2016.
South Africa vs Cameroon (26, 27, 28 or 29 March 2016)
Gambia vs South Africa (3, 4 or 5 June 2016).
South Africa vs Mauritania (2, 3 or 4 September 2016).
AFCON 2017 DRAW
Group A: Tunisia, Togo, Liberia, Djibouti
Group B: Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Central Africa Republic, Madagascar
Group C: Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, South Sudan
Group D: Burkina Faso, Uganda, Botswana, Comoros
Group E: Zambia, Congo, Kenya, Guinea Bissau
Group F: Cape Verde, Morocco, Libya, Sao Tome
Group G: Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Chad
Group H: Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Mauritius
Group I: Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Gabon
Group J: Algeria, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Seychelles
Group K: Senegal, Niger, Namibia, Burundi
Group L: Guinea, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland
Group M: Cameroon, South Africa, Gambia, Mauritania - Cape Times