Bafana Bafana and Hugo Broos will know their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) opponents by the end of business on Thursday and they may find themselves in the group of death.
The long-awaited Afcon draw will take place at the Parc des Expositions venue in Abidjan, Ivory Coast at 9pm (SA time).
The 34th edition of the biggest event on African soil takes place in Ivory Coast from January 13 – February 11.
South Africa are placed in the third seed, where their name will be in Pot 3 for the draw. The likes of Morocco, who were the World Cup semi-finalists in Qatar last year, is amongst the top seeded teams alongside Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, holders Senegal and host nation Ivory Coast.
Three-time winners Nigeria, Ghana, DR Congo, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon were ranked higher than South Africa, as they all find themselves seeded in Pot 2 and could be one of the teams that Bafana may be pitted against.
The lower ranked and last seeded teams include Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, and Tanzania.
Having beaten Morocco during the qualifiers recently and with most of their players in agonising form at their respective clubs, Bafana will most likely be one of the feared teams in the competition.
The likes of Percy Tau (Al Ahly), Lyle Foster (Burnley), Mihlali Mayambela (Aris Limassol) and Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns), will be expected to carry the team to greater heights next year.
Former and current African superstars Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi, Sadio Mane, and Achraf Hakimi will be conducting the draw.
Seeding of the 2023 Afcon group stage draw:
Pot 1: Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal (holders), Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt
Pot 2: Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo
Pot 3: South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania
Pot 4: Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, Tanzania
