As ever, it will require skill, mental fortitude and a large slice of luck, but recent form gives rise for optimism.
As they feature for the 12th time at the continental championship, having won the title once in 1996, we look back at their five best matches at the Cup of Nations finals.
31 January 1996 – 1996 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final
You can talk about the opening 3-0 win over Cameroon, the final against Tunisia, or even the 2-1 quarter-final success against Algeria, but perhaps Bafana Bafana’s key victory on their way to the 1996 Cup of Nations crown came in their 3-0 triumph over a much-fancied Ghana in the semi-finals.
Bafana had built up a head of steam to that point but came up against a potent Black Stars side and were arguably underdogs, even if they were the hosts. Led by the irrepressible John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu, they swept aside their rivals as the midfielder scored a brace and Shaun Bartlett netted just after halftime. It was one of their most accomplished performances in any competition, and the final result against Tunisia after that was never in doubt.
22 February 1998 – 1998 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final
Morocco had topped their group and were led by talisman Mustapha Hadji, who would go on to be crowned African Footballer of the Year in 1998. Bafana had only managed second place in their pool and had flattered to deceive so far, their big 4-1 victory over Namibia aside.
But they came through this tough quarter-final in Ouagadougou, showing the kind of spirit that would take them to a second successive final. Tournament top scorer Benni McCarthy gave them the lead before Saïd Chiba equalised for Morocco. Extra time looked on the cards before left-back David Nyathi scored his one and only international goal 11 minutes from the end to send his side through.
6 February 2000 – 2000 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final
Facing the host nation at the Cup of Nations is never easy, and Ghana were out for revenge following their 1996 loss. But Bafana put that emotion aside and, in front of 40,000 fervent home fans in Kumasi, dumped the Black Stars out of the competition they were co-hosting with Nigeria.
Siyabonga Nomvethe’s goal three minutes before halftime proved decisive as Bafana weathered a storm from Ghana to advance to a third successive Cup of Nations semi-final.
6 July 2019 – 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16
Hosts Egypt were full of expectation that they would go all the way at the 2019 finals, led by Mohamed Salah and a star-studded line-up that had been beaten in the final two years earlier. By contrast, South Africa had limped through the pool stage, finishing with the worst record of the 16 teams that advanced to the knockout phase, having lost two group games.
This should have been a routine win for the Egyptians, but Bafana found a stubborn edge and kept them at bay before Thembinkosi Lorch netted the winner on 85 minutes following a swift breakaway to silence the crowd. The result sent shockwaves through Egyptian football, and while they reached the final again in 2021, they lost on penalties to Senegal.
30 January 2024 – 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16
Star-studded Morocco had reached the World Cup semi-finals a little over a year earlier and eased to victory in their group, while South Africa had recovered from a 2-0 loss to Mali in their opener to advance. The Moroccans were heavy favourites against coach Hugo Broos’ side, but this Bafana team had a steely edge and refused to be intimidated.
They took the lead through Evidence Makgopa before Achraf Hakimi was given the chance to equalise from the penalty spot, only to blaze his effort over the bar. In the dying stages, Sofyan Amrabat received a red card and Teboho Mokoena’s superb free-kick sealed what can be classified as one of Bafana’s best-ever wins. They went on to finish third in the tournament.