South Africa will have a tough ask as they look to qualify for the TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast
Bafana Bafana have been drawn against Zimbabwe, Liberia and the second-best side in Africa, Morocco
Morocco and Zimbabwe both competed at the previous edition of AFCON and will be looking to qualify for the next

Bafana Bafana now knows the task that awaits them as they look to qualify for AFCON 2023.

The South African side will face off against Liberia, neighbours Zimbabwe and Morocco.

AFCON 2023, Qualifying Draw, South Africa, Competition, Compete, Ivory Coast, Bafana, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Liberia — South Africa will face off against the second-best side in Africa and their neighbours as they look to book their place in the Ivory Coast. Image: @ShakesRampedi
Source: Twitter

South Africa are currently ranked 13th in Africa and 69th in the world. Bafana failed to qualify for the previous edition of the AFCON tournament and will be looking to make amends for that disappointment.

Bafana's opposition in the qualifying rounds

Zimbabwe are 33rd in Africa and 122nd in the world. Liberia are ranked 49th in Africa and 149 in the world. The toughest challenge in the group will come from Morocco.

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Morocco were seeded in pot one and are ranked 24th in the world and are the second-best side on the continent. Zimbabwe are no pushovers either and produced impressive displays at AFCON 2021.

Speaking ahead of the draw, Bafana legend, Luca Radebe said that South Africans needed to rally behind the team and Hugo Broos. Radebe was an assistant for the draw. Following the draw, Radebe joked that Bafana should get by its neighbours as many of them were currently in the country.

2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers draw: What to expect on the road to the Ivory Coast

The draw for the 2023 TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations will take place this evening in Johannesburg to a live international audience, Sports Brief earlier reported.

The 2023 AFCON - the 33rd edition of the continental showpiece - is set to take place between June and July of next year in the Ivory Coast. Forty-seven other countries will walk the path towards attempting to dethrone champions Senegal.

The qualifying action will begin on 30 May and 14 June with match days one and two. The 19th and 27th of September will see match days three and four. Everything reaches a peak on the 20th and 28th of March 2023 with match days five and six.

Authors

Byron Pillay

Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.