Johannesburg - It’s safe to say Bafana Bafana’s road to Moscow for the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be far from comfortable.
African football’s governing body, CAF, confirmed this week that South Africa would be in Pot 3 alongside their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers Group M opponents Cameroon, Morocco, Guinea and Congo after there was some confusion over the final seating following Egypt’s complaint that they were not among the top seeds.
There grievance seems to have been ignored. worst-case scenario: Bafana do not have fond memories of taking on Algeria, the continent’s No 1 ranked team, who are in Pot 1.
The last time the two sides met was in last year’s Afcon, with Mashaba’s men coming off second best in a 3-1 thumping in Equatorial Guinea.
To face them twice in their attempts to get to Russia would be a daunting task. The Egyptians, despite a downward spiral lately, are still a fearsome bunch.
They are in Pot 2 and could easily become another trip to north Africa before Uganda, the highest placed side in Pot 4 according to the Fifa rankings, complete what would be a group of death for South Africa.
Best-case scenario: None of the teams awaiting confirmation of who they will face in their pursuit for a place in Russia are easy pickings, but some - with adequate preparation - can be the ideal rivals.
Tunisia, despite being seeded, have failed to live up to expectation since winning the Afcon in 2004 and are possibly the least dangerous side in Pot 1.
Mashaba would also fancy taking on a troubled Nigerian team after playing a part in making sure the Super Eagles did not defend their 2013 Afcon crown.
And there is no doubt everyone will be desperate to have a crack at Libya, who are the lowest ranked side at this stage of the qualification phase.
@superjourno
The Star