They have been drawn in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola and Zimbabwe, a tough pool but one they will certainly feel they can advance from.
Bafana first played at the Cup of Nations just a few months shy of 30 years ago when they lifted the 1996 edition on home soil, but there has been no trophy since despite some near misses.
Here is a look back at their Cup of Nations history in numbers.
0 – Bafana worst campaign was undoubtedly 2006 when they did not secure a point, or even score a goal, in their three matches against Zambia, Guinea and Tunisia.
4 – Bafana’s biggest victory at the finals came in the last edition in Ivory Coast when they thumped Namibia 4-0. It was also just the second time they have scored four goals in a finals match after also beating Namibia 4-1 in 1998.
4 – Bafana’s biggest Cup of Nations finals defeat came in a 4-0 loss to Nigeria in 2004 on a horror day in Tunisia. That result saw them exit in the pool stage for the first time.
6 – South Africa have met Morocco the most in Cup of Nations finals matches with six encounters down the years. They have won three of those (1998, 2002 and 2023), including knocking their much-fancied opponents out in the Round of 16 in the last edition, two draws (2004, 2013) and a single defeat (2019). Next on the list is another North African team, Tunisia (W1 D2 L2), who they beat in the 1996 decider.
7 – Benni McCrathy holds the record for the most Cup of Nations finals goals for Bafana with seven, which all came in the 1998 edition as he won the Golden Boot. He also missed the final of that tournament due to suspension as Bafana lost.
8 – Bafana’s longest unbeaten run at the finals is eight games between January 1996 and February 1998 (W6 D2). Their longest winning run is three games, which both occurred over that same period.
9 – Bafana’s longest run without a win is nine games between January 2004 and January 2013 (D4 L5). It was finally broken by a 2-0 victory over Angola. Their longest losing run of three matches is also part of that set of matches (all 2006).
12 – Bafana will be appearing at the Cup of Nations for the 12th time in the 2025 edition. They have reached the semifinals four times (1996, 1998, 2000, 2023) in those appearances and the final in 1996 (won) and 1998 (lost).
13 – Benni McCarthy scored four goals in 13 first half minutes against Namibia in 1998, the fastest hat-trick in Cup of Nations history. It remains the only Cup of Nations hat-trick for South Africa and one of just two in any fixture for Bafana since 1992. Victor Letsoalo got the other in a COSAFA Cup clash against Lesotho in 2021.
18 – Bafana have failed to score in 18 of their 50 Cup of Nations matches (36%), including in four of their seven matches in the last edition in Ivory Coast. They still took the bronze medal!
19 – Bafana have kept 19 clean sheets in 50 Cup of Nations matches (38%), including in five of their previous six matches at the finals.
19 – Bafana have met 19 different opponents at the Cup of Nations finals but, quite remarkably, never one from East Africa. They will meet Group B opponents Zimbabwe for the first time at this year’s finals, though those sides have been regular combatants in other competitions in recent years.
50 – Bafana have played exactly 50 matches at the finals, their first a 3-0 win over Cameroon in 1996 and their last a 0-0 draw with DR Congo in the third-place play-off two years ago, a tie that was won on penalties. They have won 18, drawn 17 and lost 15 of those matches.
55 – Bafana have scored 55 goals at the finals, with Phil Masinga netting their first in a 3-0 win over Cameroon in 1996. It took just 14 minutes to open the scoring at a packed Soccer City. They have conceded 48 times in their 50 matches.