Any of those opponents would pose a challenge, although Mozambique are quite obviously the preferred option, especially as the teams have already met earlier this year.
Here is the lowdown on Bafana Bafana’s history in Africa Cup of Nations knockout matches.
Positive record
Bafana have played 17 knockout matches at the continental finals and won 11 of those ties. Eight of those victories came outright, including the 1996 final against Tunisia, while there have also been three wins via penalty shoot-outs. Of their six defeats, four came outright and two via penalties. This gives them a 65% win ratio in knockout matches.
The defeats …
The most painful loss was the 2-0 defeat to Egypt in the 1998 final, but they also went down by the same scoreline to Nigeria in the 2000 semi-final and Mali in the 2002 quarter-final. There was also a quarter-final defeat to the Super Eagles in 2019 (2-1). The shoot-out losses came against Mali in the quarter-finals on home soil in 2013, and Nigeria in the semi-finals at the 2023 edition.
Biggest win
Their biggest knockout victory came in the famous 1996 semi-final win over Ghana, as John 'Shoes' Moshoeu scored twice and Shaun Bartlett added the other. Bafana won their first five knockout fixtures outright before losing the 1998 final to Egypt.
Clean sheets and failure to score
Bafana have kept seven clean sheets in their 17 knockout matches, which includes two 0-0 draws at the 2023 edition against Cape Verde (quarter-finals) and DR Congo (third-place play-off). They have failed to score in five of those games. Overall, Bafana have scored 20 goals and conceded 15, but 11 of those goals came in their first five knockout matches, with only nine scored in the following 12 fixtures.
Round of 16 joy
Two of Bafana’s best-ever Africa Cup of Nations wins have come in their only two Round of 16 matches. They defeated hosts Egypt 1-0 in 2019, with Thembinkosi Lorch scoring an 85th-minute winner. They also ousted fancied Morocco from the 2023 tournament with a 2-0 victory that set them on course for a third-place finish. They may need to claim another big scalp this time around.
Shoot-outs
Bafana have a positive, if narrow, record in penalty shoot-outs. They have won three of their five to date, defeating Tunisia, Cape Verde and DR Congo, while losing to Nigeria and Mali. Their last three knockout matches, all at the 2023 edition, went to penalties, although they were beaten by the Super Eagles in the semi-finals.
Goalscorers
Moshoeu and Benni McCarthy lead the way for Bafana in knockout-round goals with three each. There have been 12 different Bafana scorers in knockout matches. Among the current squad, Teboho Mokoena has two goals, having scored against Morocco and Nigeria at the 2023 edition, while Evidence Makgopa was also on target against the Moroccans.