Bafana Bafana 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers Group Rivals Zimbabwe Officially Disqualified by CAF

• One of South Africa's group rivals in the qualifying phase for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, neighbours Zimbabwe, has been thrown out of the competition
• Zimbabwe, alongside Kenya, was suspended by FIFA late last year because of government interference in both country's football federations
• The continent's football governing body had given both countries' football bigwigs until the last minute to get their houses in order, but this did not happen

South Africa's path to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament to be hosted in the Ivory Coast will have one less opponent to get past.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed that Zimbabwe and Kenya were disqualified from the qualifying phase to get to West Africa in June and July next year.

According to The Conversation, the Zimbabwe Football Association, as well as the Football Kenya Federation, had been suspended by world football governing body FIFA because of these countries' governments interfering in their business. FARPost reported that CAF had given both federations until two weeks before the qualifiers began to ensure this suspension was lifted, before removing them from the race after they failed to do so.

Kenya's Harambee Starlets bundled out of CECAFA championships

Football

The Warriors were drawn alongside neighbours Bafana Bafana, Morocco and Liberia in what would have proved a wide-open Group K. However, the group will be reduced to three now, with the top two teams still qualifying for the finals.

Zimbabwe has qualified for AFCON on five occasions; 2004, 2006, 2017, 2019 and 2021. They failed to get out of the group stages in all these editions.

Social media gives its response to South Africa's draw in AFCON 2023 qualifiers

With the dust having settled with the draw for the qualifying phase of the 2023 African Cup of Nations, South African football social media has given its thoughts.

Bafana Bafana has been drawn alongside Morocco, Zimbabwe and Liberia in Group K, looking to book a ticket with one of these nations to Ivory Coast next year in July.

The men's national football team failed to qualify for this year's edition that was held in Cameroon in January and February.